Apple crests 1 billion active iPhone users milestone

A lot of people were skeptical when Apple launched the iPhone in 2007. At the time, even Apple’s ambitions were fairly modest with the late Steve Jobs targeting a global market share of just 1 percent. Although Apple achieved its peak of iPhone sales in 2015 with 231 million iPhones sold, it continues to enjoy between 13 and 14 percent global market share making it the number three smartphone maker in the world. It is also the most profitable thanks to its industry high margins.

Now, 13 years after the iPhone went on sale, Apple is now estimated to have reached an installed base of 1 billion users. This is not to be confused with the total number of iPhones sold, but the number of active iPhone users in the world right now. The figure comes courtesy of respected Apple analyst Neil Cybart who says his estimate is arrived at by combining figures of new sales and sales through second-hand retailers or passed down through a family.

According to Cybart, Apple is continuing to add new iPhone users at the rate of approximately 20 million to 30 million per year. This active install base will, unsurprisingly, continue to drive Apple’s services revenue, but will also help to drive sales of Apple accessories including the Watch and AirPods. Cybart also sees new iPhone users adopting other Apple products including the iPad and Mac. All of which bodes well for the US$2 trillion megacorporation while it tries to cook up its next game-changing product.