Did the Samsung Galaxy S3 really outsell Apple's iPhone 4S in Q3 2012?

Did the Samsung Galaxy S3 really outsell Apple's iPhone 4S in Q3 2012? A bunch of technology blogs ran stories saying it did last week, so it has to be true, right? The stores were based on a press release that claimed it did, so it must have, right? The presser, was issued by the impressively named Strategy Analytics and headlined Samsung Galaxy S3 Becomes World's Best-Selling Smartphone Model in Q3 2012, so it has to to be true, right? Well, wait, what did the lede to the presser say?

According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, Samsung?s Galaxy S3 overtook Apple?s iPhone 4S to become the world?s best-selling smartphone model for the first time ever in the third quarter of 2012. A large touchscreen, extensive distribution and generous operator subsidies have propelled the Galaxy S3 to the top spot.

And what was senior analyst from Strategy Analytics, Neil Shah, quoted as saying?

Samsung?s Galaxy S3 smartphone model shipped 18.0 million units worldwide during the third quarter of 2012. The Galaxy S3 captured an impressive 11 percent share of all smartphones shipped globally and it has become the world?s best-selling smartphone model for the first time ever. A large touchscreen design, extensive distribution across dozens of countries, and generous operator subsidies have been among the main causes of the Galaxy S3?s success. Apple shipped an estimated 16.2 million iPhone 4S units worldwide for second place, as consumers temporarily held off purchases in anticipation of a widely expected iPhone 5 upgrade at the end of the quarter.

Oh, wait, the quote doesn't match the headline and lede, does it? Why use sold in the headline and lede, and shipped in the quote? Which is it? Why use sold at all if they're talking about shipped? What does sold mean? What does shipped mean? Are they counting only devices actually sold to customers or devices stuffed into channels, sitting on shelves, or dumped into return bins?

How did they get numbers for the Galaxy S3 when Samsung doesn't disclose device sales numbers? Did they take Samsung's 30-million sold from May to October press release, divide by 5 and multiply by 3 to get 18? Did they assume no change in sales acceleration at all occurred at all during that period?

How did they get numbers for the iPhone 4S when Apple, who does disclose device sales numbers, doesn't break them down by model? Did they take Apple's 26.9 million July to September number, shift it a month forward, and... um... ah...

Why is the Galaxy S3 considered one phone when there are actually at least 2 very different phones that are simply sold under the same brand and use completely different processor architectures -- the Samsung Exynos 4 Quad sold internationally, and the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 sold in North America and Japan?

The iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S have different processor architectures, why aren't they considered the same phone? Is an "S" more of a differentiator than an "International" or "North American"? If so, why?

Why even put out a press release on a metrics report that so conflates and confounds the very metrics it purports to deliver? Why re-blog that press release without questioning why the crux of the headline and lede don't match the crux of the reported metrics? Why leave readers with no real idea who sold what and how many last quarter? And if the Galaxy S3 really did outsell the iPhone 4S in Q3, 2012, why not give Samsung, Apple, investors, and consumers higher quality reporting on it?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/giIF6Bw1C74/story01.htm

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