About That Flop: Apple's iPhone 5c Still Outsold Android, BlackBerry & Windows Phones in Q4

A new report from Apple Insider uncovers a surprising fact about Apple’s “unapologetically plastic” iPhone 5c; despite the stories of it being a failure or a flop, the less-expensive iPhone actually outsold its competitors on other platforms in Q4 2013. Devices running Android, BlackBerry OS and Windows Phone all trailed the iPhone 5c in the sales department, and that included the very popular Galaxy S4 from Samsung, which was a strong seller.

What this story tells us is that there seem to be two types of success: normal success, and then “Apple success,” where a product is dominant in its category. The iPhone 5s is far and away the clear winner in the smartphone market right now. The Phone 5c, which was never meant to outsell the 5s, is in the unfortunate position of having to compete with its newer, more advanced sibling.

It’s losing, as it should be. But in Q4 of last year, it was taking second place on quite a few carriers. That’s a spot that other phone makers would be very happy with.

Perhaps the perception of failure comes from Apple itself. The company seems to have had some lofty goals for the iPhone 5c, and even though the smartphone wound up doing a lot better than many competing products late last year, the company stated that sales of the device weren’t “in line” with what was expected.

This report only tells the story from last year, so we’ll have to wait to see how the 5c fares in 2014. The year has  been quiet thus far in terms of new smartphones being released, so the potential is there for the iPhone 5c to remain quietly consistent. But Samsung’s Galaxy S5 is on the horizon, and if any upcoming handset can knock down Apple’s lowest-tier iPhone, it’s that one.

What are your thoughts on the iPhone 5c? Do you think the device has been successful, or do you think Apple needs to go back to the drawing board with its low-cost option? Drop us a line below.