Total U.S. Smartphone Subscribers, RIM 7.3%?

**bb10_fan** · 01-04-2013, 07:08 AM

I believe I've read so many times that RIM has closer to 1% market share in US and this reports says it's 7.3% for November 2012.

comScore Reports November 2012 U.S. Mobile Subscriber Market Share - comScore, Inc

Looks like I've missed something in previous reports or this report talks about something different.

**RubberChicken76** · 01-04-2013, 07:15 AM

This is a perpetual pet peeve of mine.

There are different studies that measure different things. Journalists often get what they measure wrong or don't clearly or completely say what they measure.

Comscore measures the overall population of US smartphone users. If their data is accurate, 7.3% of the US smartphone population is on a BlackBerry.

The other reports like the one you mention (IDC, I think) measure the sales of new phones to new customers over the most recent three month period. If their data is correct, only 1.3% of the smartphones sold to people in the U.S. buying a smartphone in the most recent measured 3 month period bought a BlackBerry.

**bb10_fan** · 01-04-2013, 07:38 AM

I see, so at the end of the day RIM is not still dead in US as many trying to present it

With BB10 they can jump high again (I hope)

**mikeo007** · 01-04-2013, 07:53 AM

Not dead, but not healthy either.

"Com Score's data tracks installed user base rather than new handset sales, making it more reflective of real-world usage but slower to respond to shifting market trends than some other studies."

Blackberry is waning in N/A but not dead.

**RubberChicken76** · 01-04-2013, 08:13 AM

Originally Posted by bb10_fan

I see, so at the end of the day RIM is not still dead in US as many trying to present it

With BB10 they can jump high again (I hope)

Not dead, but definitely has declined substantially. For the first time, growth in international markets weren't enough to offset the decline in the US and caused their overall active base to drop.

**jr4941** · 01-04-2013, 08:23 AM

I've also seen reports like these that talk about the amount of data transferred as an indication of marketshare. This is a very weird way to calculate things since BB compresses so much data.

7.3% sure isn't healthy, but we'll have to see whether BlackBerry 10 maintains and starts to increase from that 7.3% (or adds subscribers without marketshare).

**Neely2005** · 01-04-2013, 08:27 AM

I think some of them track All Cell Phones & some Only track Smart Phones.

It sounds like this one is only tracking Smart Phones and doesn't include basic Cell Phones.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9700 using Tapatalk

**scalemaster34** · 01-04-2013, 08:34 AM

I "imagine" that both the 7.3% and the 1.3% reflect business and government accounts that for security or easy of management, use BB devices exclusively. I think very few consumers would be included in those percentages anymore. And the 1.3% is also artificially low just like iPhone numbers shirk just before the release of a new device.

While overall even 7% is still a lot of smartphones, it is the TREND that every quarter that percentage shrinks that is worrying. And the fact that 7% is not a significant enough portion of number to incite many companies or developers to build apps for the platform.

**mikeo007** · 01-04-2013, 08:35 AM

Originally Posted by Neely2005

I think some of them track All Cell Phones & some Only track Smart Phones.

It sounds like this one is only tracking Smart Phones and doesn't include basic Cell Phones.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9700 using Tapatalk

The 7% number being discussed here is indeed for the smartphone market. The overall oem numbers (for all cellphones) are the following:
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1357310102.827655.jpg

**sleepngbear** · 01-04-2013, 08:47 AM

The 7.3% is total smart phone ownership and usage among total smart phone subscribers. The tumbling market share number that keeps getting thrown around, which is now down around 1%, is of smart phone sales. Both very important metrics, but entirely different meanings.

**RubberChicken76** · 01-04-2013, 09:06 AM

Originally Posted by jr4941

I've also seen reports like these that talk about the amount of data transferred as an indication of marketshare. This is a very weird way to calculate things since BB compresses so much data.

Yeah - and there's other factors too. Like those BBM only plans which don't allow web browsing or app downloads. Or if your BlackBerry is connected to a BES and locked down.