Testing performance of all iPhones together

Tips

• If you have a Microsoft Exchange (Hotmail) account active on your iPhone, your iPhone will automatically synchronize all of your contacts. You can see this synced data when you view your Hotmail account on your computer or other web-enabled electronic.

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• With iOS 6, Facebook was fully integrated into iOS, allowing users to synchronize their Facebook friends’ contacts directly into their phones. Logging into Facebook under Settings should make this occur automatically.

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iPhone 4S: October 14, 2011

Talk about a huge difference between the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S: the camera went from 5 MP to a whopping 8 MP. Now, that’s an upgrade. Apple also introduced the 64 GB storage option but kept the memory at 512 MB. Video could then be recorded in 1080p. Oh, I can’t forget—hello, Siri! Apple sold four million units of the iPhone 4S in its first week.

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iPhone 13 Pro Max: September 24, 2021

The iPhone 13 Pro Max offers everything the Pro does, but bigger. Its screen is the same size as the iPhone 12 Pro Max: 6.7 inchesw diagonally. It, like the rest of the iPhone 13 line, is a bit heavier and thicker than its predecessor, despite sharing the same dimensions otherwise. In addition to getting a chip upgrade to the A15, the iPhone 13 Pro Max also gets an additional GPU, for a total of five. It, too, offers a 1 TB storage capacity option, and Apple says the battery is able to support up to 28 hours of non-stop video playback. With the heftiest pricetag of any iPhone, the iPhone Pro Max is the ultimate top-of-the-line model available.

Maps

As the newer navigation system, Apple Maps did not have a great start, but it has improved significantly. Key features are similar: You can download maps for offline use, get accurate estimates based on current traffic conditions, and find turn-by-turn directions for driving or walking. Apple has even closed further in on Google Maps by adding cycling directions and more improvements in iOS 14. You’ll also find public transit and ride-booking integration. They all work well and should get you where you’re going.

It used to be that Google Maps would win this category hands-down — and while it’s still generally our map app of choice, Apple has made some huge strides toward parity in the last few years, and Apple Maps is now at the point where it’s a serious competitor. We would still personally download Google Maps, even on an iOS device, but if you chose to go with Apple’s map app over Google’s, then you wouldn’t be getting an inferior product. Right now, Google Maps still has a small advantage due to its larger database of reviews and businesses, but its lead has narrowed a lot, and we expect to see this category fall into being a tie eventually.

Winner: Android

Frequently Asked Questions When Putting Two Images Together

Q. Can I directly put two images together on my iPhone? 

If your operating system is iOS 12 or higher, then yes—you can directly put two images together directly on your iPhone using Siri Shortcuts. If it’s not, you have to install a third-party app first before you can make side by side photos on your iPhone. 

Q. How much do these apps cost me? 

Most photo editor applications are free unless you want to avail of the premium version. The price of the premium version differs from one app to another. 

Q. I’m just a newbie, which app is easier to use?

Most apps are very easy to use but everything boils down to your other needs, aside from putting two or more photos together. There are apps that offer a wide range of editing tools, which makes it more complicated to use; meanwhile, others have limited tools. Each of them has its own pros and cons. It all depends on your wants and needs.

Security

Much has been made of the supposedly “toxic hell stew” that is Android, but the threat of malware is exaggerated. The truth is that most people will never encounter a problem because they don’t go outside the Play Store for apps. Specific manufacturers like Samsung have taken extra efforts to beef up security for the enterprise market. But the slovenly nature of updates on many Android devices can seriously delay important security patches.

Speedy updates are now more important than ever because security breaches are becoming more serious. Android tends to lag in the update world — that is, unless you have a stock Android device like a Pixel or a phone running Android One. That lack of update speed tends to mean Android is less secure to emerging threats. Because millions of Android phones are still running software that’s years old, they can be vulnerable to serious hacks like Heartbleed and Stagefright.

Apple is firmly entrenched in corporate America and has also worked on improved security for general consumers, most notably with Touch ID and FaceID in the iPhone X and later. The tight oversight that Apple has on apps and the ability to push updates out to more devices more quickly gives it an edge over Android. The company also encrypts data in iMessage and its other apps.

Apple prioritizes user privacy, so you can feel safe knowing your personal data is not stored or read by Apple. It is all encrypted, too. Meanwhile, Android encrypts some data, but your privacy is less protected. Google mines your data for information that it can use to sell better ads and market products to you. Your data is also stored and read to provide you with a better A.I. experience.

Google claims it is committed to fully protect user privacy and still provide the A.I. services it offers, but some security experts and Apple argue that Google presents a false choice between A.I. and privacy. Apple even went to war with the FBI to guarantee your right to encryption. It’s hard to beat that kind of dedication.

There’s no denying that iOS is the most secure platform and the one that best protects user privacy. If you care about your privacy and security, go with an iPhone.

Winner: iOS

iPhone statistics

iPhone is Apple’s most valuable product and has, since 2008, been its main source of revenue. Even though Apple has diversified its product line with Watch, AirPods and services, iPhone is still responsible for 50 percent of Apple’s revenue.

In the past two years, Apple has launched four models of iPhone. These are: iPhone, Mini, Pro and Max. All come with different price points and are aimed at targeting as many consumers as possible.

iPhone revenue

Apple saw double-digit year-on-year iPhone growth from 2008 to 2015, but revenue has stagnated since. Apple has added new models, such as the Mini, Pro and Max in the past two years, although that hasn’t drawn in more customers. More customers are also holding onto their phone for longer, with Apple providing software upgrades for longer than two years.

iPhone quarterly revenue ($bn)

iPhone sales

Similar to revenue, iPhone sales saw enormous growth between 2008-2015. Sales peaked at 2015, with a steady decline of 14 percent from 2015 to 2020. This decline is mostly due to increased competition in China by Xiaomi and Huawei.

Note: Apple stopped reporting iPhone sales in Q4 2018. All values afterwards are estimates 

Source: Apple, Canalys, CNBC, Gartner, Strategy Analytics

iPhone sales by region

Sales of the iPhone have fallen each year since 2015 in China, from a high of 71.2 million in 2015 to 34.9 million in 2020. All other regions have been steady in terms of sales.

Note: Values are million

Active iPhone units

Even though Apple device sales have stagnated in the past few years, it has added more active iPhone users every year. Apple has switched its focus to services and other long-term revenue sources, as customers keep their phones for longer.

Sources: Above Avalon, Apple, BMO Capital Markets

Active iPhone units (US)

Approximately one fifth of all active iPhone units are from the US, which is unsurprising given it is Apple’s largest market. However, at 202 million units, Apple will have to find new markets to add more active units.

Sources: Apple, CIRP 

Send what you’re watching in SharePlay to Apple TV

If you’ve already started watching a video together on iPhone, you can send it to Apple TV to enjoy on the big screen.

On iPhone, do one of the following:

• In the streaming app, tap , then choose Apple TV as the playback destination.

• Open Control Center, tap , then choose Apple TV as the playback destination.

The video plays in sync on Apple TV, and you can keep the conversation going on your iPhone.

See Watch together using SharePlay in the Apple TV User Guide.

Apple Services statistics

An increasingly important part of Apple, as it continues to add more subscriptions and services to its iOS platform. With iPhone and iPad sales not likely to see much significant movement, Apple sees services as a way to continue growing.

It should be noted that Apple rarely publicizes usage or subscribers for certain apps, like iCloud, iMessage, FaceTime and Health, which is why we have not included them in this data report.

Apple services revenue

In comparison to iPhone, iPad and Mac, Apple’s services revenue has increased year-on-year. Some analysts see it as the most important segment of the company, potentially reaching $50 billion in profit by 2025.

Apple services quarterly revenue ($bn)

Subscribers to Apple services (total)

Apple has saw the number of subscribers to its services increase dramatically over the past six years. This stat includes subscriptions to iCloud, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, Apple Fitness+.

Source: Apple

Apple Pay active users

Even though Apple Pay comes pre-installed on all iPhones, users can still choose to not set up the contactless payment solution. About half of all iPhone users actively use Apple Pay, according to Loup Ventures.

Source: Loup Ventures

Apple Pay transaction volume

Apple Pay transaction volume more than doubled between 2018 and 2019, as more customers became comfortable using their phone to pay for things. While Apple has not revealed transaction volume for 2020, we suspect it will be lower than 2019 due to COVID-19.

Sources: Apple, Bernstein, Pymnts

Apple Music subscribers

Apple Music is the second largest music streaming service in the West, far behind Spotify’s 150 million users and not far behind Amazon Music’s 55 million. The majority of subscribers are from the US, which is one of the few countries Apple is ahead of Spotify.

Source: Apple

Apple TV+ subscribers

Apple invested $6 billion into TV+ in 2019, a huge gamble in a market with Netflix, Amazon and Disney all competing for eyeballs. It also offers a year of TV+ to iPhone and iPad buyers for free, which means most subscribers are still on free trial.

Note: May 2021 is projected 

Sources: Bloomberg, Statista

Apple News users

Apple’s news aggregation service may not responsible for much revenue generation – for Apple or news providers – but it has added more readers every year since launch. It is still behind Flipboard, with 145 million MAUs, but may surpass it by 2022.

Apple News+ added 200,000 subscribers in the first 48 hours, but has not made any significant strides since launch.

Siri active users

Apple’s Siri has been the unfortunate brunt of many jokes about artificial intelligence and smart assistants, however hundreds of millions of iPhone users actively use the application.

Note: Apple has not updated figures since 2020 

Source: Apple

Siri accuracy

Apple has improved the accuracy of its smart assistant year-on-year, according to Loup Ventures, which run yearly tests on all of the major mobile smart assistants. While still behind Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, Siri is catching up.

Source: Loup Ventures

Apple Arcade subscribers

Apple’s mobile gaming subscription platform has seen some interest, however Apple has reportedly changed course and will not publish as many exclusive games as it planned. This may be perceived as Apple not meeting subscription targets after one year.

Source: IHS Markit Technology

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