My Two Cents: Android v. Apple v. Windows (and Amazon Prime) when is the right time to buy tech?
Data from GSMARENA
* Preliminary estimates are subject to change on final release. (GSMARENA April 19, 2022.)
This has been an awkward time for technology and its users (including us lawyers). Our consumption of new and updated phones, tablets, and computers has been slowed due to the production and supply issues caused by the pandemic. The uncertainty of our economy and the rise of inflation has impacted the market as well. People are trying to push more life out of their aging technology as new devices rise in price. But that does not mean the desire and need for newer technology are abated as new devices and software enter the market.
GSMARENA reports on the new smartphone sales for the first quarter of 2022. The purchase of Samsung phones (and their Android-based OS) is leading the pack. It is even outpacing my beloved iPhone! Does this mean the starting trend for the end of the iPhone?
Gartner reports that Windows computer manufacturers are worried about the Apple MacBook Air at its base model outselling some of their beefier models (more ram, faster chip speeds [for their models], etc.). (Note Apple’s newish “M” series chips just run everything more efficiently, thus needing less RAM.) While Apple computers are outpacing Windows machines in growth, they are still not outselling Windows-based machines as a whole. The interesting factor here is that computer sales as a whole are still declining.
Data from Gartner article "Gartner Says Worldwide PC Shipments Experienced the Sharpest Decline in Nine Years in the Second Quarter of 2022. July 11, 2022.
Notes: Data includes desk-based PCs, notebook PCs, ultramobile premiums (such as Microsoft Surface) and Chromebooks, but not iPads.
All data is estimated based on a preliminary study. Final estimates will be subject to change. The statistics are based on shipments selling into channels. Numbers may not add up to totals shown due to rounding.
Source: Gartner (July 2022).
The likelihood of Android permanently outpacing Apple or Apple decimating Windows right now or in the near future is unlikely. Apple will come out with a new phone in Autumn, and Windows chip makers will eventually come out with a competitive chip to Apple’s “M” series. The trick is to learn the release cycles of your favorite product. For instance, I follow MacRumors’ Buyer’s Guide page to figure out when the next product refresh will be released. I try to coordinate my upgrades on that schedule. Of course, sometimes you have an emergency that requires an immediate purchase regardless of schedule.
Amazon is having its annual “Prime Day Sales” soon. I personally don’t think you are going to get great deals on the newest technology. And certainly not the soon-to-be-released items. But you may be able to get a good deal on the last release if its cycle is ending. Try to follow the hardware and OS release cycles – that will be the best time to buy something new, unless, of course, you have to make an emergency purchase!
MTC.