There are now 1 billion iPhones being used in the world, analyst says

There are now more than a billion active iPhones around the world, according to an analysis published by leading Apple expert Neil Cybart.

Apple said it reached a billion iPhones sold back in July 2016 – but that didn’t account for the large number that would have been destroyed, recycled or fallen out of use.

In a new blog post, Mr Cybart wrote that “according to my estimate, Apple surpassed the billion iPhone users milestone last month".

"Thirteen years after going on sale, the iPhone remains the perennial most popular and best-selling smartphone,” he said.

He added: “Competitors continue to either shamelessly copy iPhone or, at a minimum, be heavily influenced by the iPhone. Looking ahead, Apple’s top priorities for the iPhone include finding ways to keep the device at the centre of people’s lives while at the same time recognising the paradigm shift ushered in by wearables.”

Apple has so far launched 29 iPhones in an ever-expanding smartphone market. The increasing number of iPhones in use means that there is also more demand than ever for its service units, Mr Cybart said, adding that the iPhone business has largely turned into one of selling upgrades to existing owners.

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According to Forbes, Apple has leveraged the growing number of iPhone users to create a whole ecosystem around its flagship product. It means iOS remains a priority for the app markets; while with iCloud, Apple has created an expansive world with streaming content, phones, wearables and TVs attached.

Mr Cybart believes that in order to push sales further, the company needs to concentrate on “pushing camera technology boundaries”, “increasing the value found with iPhone ownership” and “increasing the number of roles handled by the iPhone”.

The company touched the milestone of selling one billion iPhones shortly after it hit its peak in terms of the rate of sales, in 2015. Since then, iPhone sales have fluctuated significantly.

Mr Cybart said wearables could be the key to continuing the growth of Apple in the same way iPhones got it to its first billion users. “While the iPhone may have been responsible for Apple getting to a billion users, wearables have a decent shot of getting Apple to two billion users," he said.

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