Black Friday through Cyber Monday are some of the busiest shopping days in the US, which makes it a good gauge as to how the hottest tech products are selling. For this year’s holiday shopping season, Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) has emerged victorious over its rival Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL).
The latest data after Cyber Monday shows that there are significantly more new Google Pixel getting activated than iPhones. The Pixel’s activation increase was substantial, coming in at 112%. In comparison, iPhone’s latest activation rate was up only 13% which needless to say, is rather poor when compared to that of Alphabet’s Pixel. In fact, iPhone numbers are much lower even when compared with Samsung’s exploding Galaxy S7 phone. This despite the fact that the South-Korean electronics giant received plenty of bad press on its flagship debacle a couple of months ago which encouraged people to look to other brands.
The surge in Pixel units purchased at this time of the year definitely bodes well for Google’s first phone (Google’s Nexus phones were designed and manufactured by other smart phone companies). While the device may have received overwhelmingly positive acclaim from tech reviewers when it was released, this means nothing if the phone does not sell well. Luckily for Google-parent Alphabet, Morgan Stanley data shows that the search giant will reach its goal of 3 million Pixel units sold before the year ends. This is a significant milestone for the device moving into fiscal 2017, and this will most certainly push Google to provide a high level of support to the Pixel, as well as include more innovations into the future iterations of the device. With that said, it should be noted that there are a number of factors why Pixel’s numbers are on a sharp rise in comparison with the tried and tested iPhone.
One of the big factors is release timing. The iPhone was released in September of this year, with the Pixel following a month after. In that time frame, the iPhone was the top selling device, so it is quite possible that the initial demand has already waned, hence the low numbers this Black Friday. Also, the iPhone has had some supply issues so it is likely that not too many people were able to get their hands on Apple’s latest, resulting in the lower new activation numbers.
It can also be said that Pixel is a superior phone in a number of ways. One of the strongest selling points of the Pixel is that it has the highest rated camera available on smartphones today, allowing users to take really beautiful, sharp and vibrant photos. The Google device also has great battery life, with the company promising 7 hours of use with just 15 minutes of charging time.
VR integration is another feature of the Pixel that the iPhone simply cannot compete with. The Pixel, along with the Daydream ecosystem, allows Google to make VR accessible and enjoyable for more people.
Also notable about Pixel’s sales numbers is that this has been achieved with the Mountain View-based company partnering only with Verizon for carrier plans; those who want to use Pixel with other networks will have to purchase the device directly from Google. Analysts consider this as a limitation for the device, as there is a large number of users not willing to pay upfront for the handset, instead relying on Telco contracts to acquire it. Should Google partner with other telecommunications providers, analysts expect that there will be even bigger sales numbers for Google’s new prime gadget.
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