There's no denying that a significant number of users upgrade every year, but you can't simply subtract upgraders from the installed base. The devices that these people upgrade from get traded in and resold through refurb outfits, put up on ebay, or just handed down to a friend or family member. The point is that they still get used, and their new owners may very well keep buying new software and other content, and even turn into upgraders themselves down the line.

You paint it as a negative, but loyal upgraders may actually be helping to drive the expansion of the installed base by providing a steady supply of discounted and inherited iDevices.

LOL! I would LOVE to read your explanation on that one.

Shall I keep going? I've got PLENTY! I haven't even whipped out Angry Birds, Crystal Defenders, Dungeon Defenders, Demon Hunter, Illusia, Stupid Zombies, Plants vs Zombies, Ninjump, Super Dynamite Fishing or Spectral Souls yet.

Do you even have a smart phone? By your response my guess would be "No" because they DO offer "Real Gaming Experiences".

iPhones and Android phones have "Games" like Pilotwings too you know. Actually come to think of it, they have plenty of games like it, except they only cost $.99-$4.99 instead of $34.99-$39.99.

Yeah smartphone gaming has evolved A LOT recently. I'm an avid handheld gamer (honestly I think I prefer DS/PSP gaming to home console gaming) and play a lot of DS and PSP at home but if I'm out I just play on my Android phone now (Game Dev Story is still keeping me occupied. I have a backlog of Zenonia 2, Angry Birds and Angry Birds Rio). If I have a bag with me, I'll take my PSP (a bit self-conscious being a twenty-something man with a DS Lite in public. lol. But I do love my DS Lite. It's my favorite platform.)

The same is easily said of game consoles or any other consumer electronics. I myself have a broken Wii and a broken DS Lite that I've bought replacements for. The 3DS is the only console currently on sale which didn't go on the market before the iPhone launched, and these consoles are all more likely to have hardware failures because they have more moving parts than an iDevice. Furthermore, upgraded devices (including those old consoles from 2006) tend to get resold to new users, and even first generation iDevices still have value in used and refurbished markets.

Trying to parse which platforms have more devices in landfills and sock drawers is a near impossible thing to measure. It's easiest to just take for granted that moving more units means the platform is healthier.

@ Buzzi

It bugs me to see Nintendo enthusiasts, who for so long have defended their platforms of choice from accusations that their games aren't "real," turn around and start trying to dictate what constitutes a game. I thought the Wii and the DS were about open-minded inclusion, but now I see the same sneering elitism I'm used to seeing from HD gamers.

The same is easily said of game consoles or any other consumer electronics. I myself have a broken Wii and a broken DS Lite that I've bought replacements for. The 3DS is the only console currently on sale which didn't go on the market before the iPhone launched, and these consoles are all more likely to have hardware failures because they have more moving parts than an iDevice. Furthermore, upgraded devices (including those old consoles from 2006) tend to get resold to new users, and even first generation iDevices still have value in used and refurbished markets.

Trying to parse which platforms have more devices in landfills and sock drawers is a near impossible thing to measure. It's easiest to just take for granted that moving more units means the platform is healthier.

@ Buzzi

It bugs me to see Nintendo enthusiasts, who for so long have defended their platforms of choice from accusations that their games aren't "real," turn around and start trying to dictate what constitutes a game. I thought the Wii and the DS were about open-minded inclusion, but now I see the same sneering elitism I'm used to seeing from HD gamers.

Yeah but how many of those iPhone/iPod sales are actually upgrades from the older models.  I doubt the install base is anywhere near 187M.

I don't see people upgrading making much of a difference to the install base.

Do you think people simply throw their phone, pads and touches when they upgrade?

iPhones are expensive pieces of kit (my cousin sold his 3GS for over £200 last month and that was almost two years old). iPhones hold their value very well.

You don't simply throw away that kind of money when you upgrade. You either trade it in, sell it (meaning it's sold on to someone else) or you give it to someone. Not many people have an iphone of anykind lying around unlike most other older phones with little value.

The same with iPads and iPod touches, many sell the old and move on to the new.

I would say the install base is quite near to the 187m

Hell yeah, I just found out that my Captivate sells for ~$275 on eBay.

Glad I saved the original box, just in case I ever decide to part with it.