Apple's iPhone 4S climbs to 29% smartphone market share in UK
Apple's share of the smartphone market in the U.K. jumped up 7 percent year over year to reach 29.1 percent, according to a new analysis.
Kantar Worldpanel " target="_blank">found that an estimated 71.4 percent of British mobile phone sales were smartphones during the 12 weeks ending Jan. 22. The surge in sales tipped smartphone owners into the majority for the first time, according to the market research firm.
“Android holds on to its lead but Apple is making inroads, increasing its share of the British market from 21.7% a year ago to 29.1% now," said Consumer Insight Director Dominic Sunnebo.
The analyst also added that Apple's handset growth is not just a temporary leap because the iPhone 4S is new. Earlier research from Kandar showed that Apple's share of smartphone sales spiked to almost 43 percent last October as a result of pent-up demand for the iPhone 4S.
“The jump we saw in Apple’s share last period was clearly not just a blip caused by the iPhone 4S release. Although the majority of growth is coming from the new handset, Apple’s latest pricing structure is also working in its favour with no discernable drop in sales of older iPhone 4 and 3GS models,” he said.
Kantar also noted that the iPhone has grabbed a 48.4 percent of the U.S. market compared to 42.6 percent for Android, though those numbers differ substantially from other market research estimates.
Meanwhile, Microsoft's hopes remained alive with Windows Phone 7 "creeping up" to two percent of the market for the first time. Nokia's Lumia 800 handset drove the "lion's share" of purchases for the mobile platform.
Kantar expects Windows Phone to grow to 8 percent market share in the U.K. toward the end of 2012, buoyed in part by the arrival of new models that are expected to launch at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next week. Sunnebo cited high social networking engagement and GPS usage as positives for Windows Phone that could help it to increase sales.
Microsoft's gains came largely out of Symbian's share as Nokia has ramped up its transition to Windows Phone. Symbian fell to 2.8 percent of the market during the period. The firm did however, point out that Lumia 800 sales reflected strong customer loyalty, as more than 25 percent of Windows Phone 7 customers have previously owned Symbian handsets.
An earlier report found the iPhone 4S to have dominated the holiday season in the U.K., making up almost one quarter of all smartphone sales in November and early December. Five versions of the iPhone, including the iPhone 3GS, ranked among the top 15 smartphones sold in the region.
Apple launched the iPhone 4S in the U.K. last October on the same day that it went on sale in the U.S.
[ View article on AppleInsider ]
Comments
Too bad Slurpy got slappy banned. What can anybody possibly say about this news?
Rounding error.
So, I guess, that wasn't true, after all?
Didn't AI have a report (and some folks were making a big deal a few weeks ago) about iPhone's share declining in the UK?
So, I guess, that wasn't true, after all?
In China maybe..
Too bad Slurpy got slappy banned. What can anybody possibly say about this news?
It's Slappy, not Slurpy- please don't confuse us.
And no, it's not too bad he got banned. You can probably predict what he would have said/not said.
Too bad Slurpy got slappy banned. What can anybody possibly say about this news?
Don't worry we still have Zither!
"Proview will KILL Apple. KILL them, I tell you. KILL, KILL, KILL"
Interesting! Unlike other analysts, they claim the iPhone overtook Android in the US?
Nevertheless, the other analysts did show a dramatic loss of Android market share and a huge leap in iPhone market share in the US.
Will the iPhone eventually overtake Android globally, bearing in mind that Apple have by far the highest satisfaction and user retention ratings?
Android have lost their previous low price advantage as more and more carriers are offering free iPhones with contracts.
Android's other advantage is also eroding. They are available on every carrier in world. But Apple's carrier numbers are increasing inexorably as they give into Apple's terms.
As carriers not offering iPhone lose market share they have no alternative but to cave into Apple's terms or haemorrhage their most affluent and profitable subscribers to the carriers which do offer iPhones.
"Kantar also noted that the iPhone has grabbed a 48.4 percent of the U.S. market compared to 42.6 percent for Android,"
Interesting! Unlike other analysts, they claim the iPhone overtook Android in the US?
Nevertheless, the other analysts did show a dramatic loss of Android market share and a huge leap in iPhone market share in the US.
Will the iPhone eventually overtake Android globally, bearing in mind that Apple have by far the highest satisfaction and user retention ratings?
Android have lost their previous low price advantage as more and more carriers are offering free iPhones with contracts.
Android's other advantage is also eroding. They are available on every carrier in world. But Apple's carrier numbers are increasing inexorably as they give into Apple's terms.
As carriers not offering iPhone lose market share they have no alternative but to cave into Apple's terms or haemorrhage their most affluent and profitable subscribers to the carriers which do offer iPhones.
As great as the iPhone is I find it hard to believe that an iPhone (a single device) could overtake (a free OS used on hundred of devices across dozens of vendors). I can why IPod and iPad can get a natural monopoly but could the iPhone do that, too.
"Kantar also noted that the iPhone has grabbed a 48.4 percent of the U.S. market compared to 42.6 percent for Android,"
Interesting! Unlike other analysts, they claim the iPhone overtook Android in the US?
Nevertheless, the other analysts did show a dramatic loss of Android market share and a huge leap in iPhone market share in the US.
Will the iPhone eventually overtake Android globally, bearing in mind that Apple have by far the highest satisfaction and user retention ratings?
Android have lost their previous low price advantage as more and more carriers are offering free iPhones with contracts.
Android's other advantage is also eroding. They are available on every carrier in world. But Apple's carrier numbers are increasing inexorably as they give into Apple's terms.
As carriers not offering iPhone lose market share they have no alternative but to cave into Apple's terms or haemorrhage their most affluent and profitable subscribers to the carriers which do offer iPhones.
I never, ever understood how the hell it's a fair comparison to equivocate 'iPhone' with 'Android'. It's what the Apple-haters always do to trump up numbers. How the hell can a phone from a single company be compared to an OS running on pretty much every phone that ISN'T an iPhone? If we're gonna lump almost every single device from the majority of phone manufacturer out there based on the OS, it makes alot more sense to compare Android vs iOS- but then there would be a clear winner, and we wouldn't want that. The fact that this comparison is made (iPhone vs everyone else) and iPhone comes out slightly behind, even, or slightly ahead is pretty mind-blowing and a testament to its success.
As great as the iPhone is I find it hard to believe that an iPhone (a single device) could overtake (a free OS used on hundred of devices across dozens of vendors). I can why IPod and iPad can get a natural monopoly but could the iPhone do that, too.
I think Apple iPhone can eventually gain majority market share. I know people who have one year old Android smartphones who barely use their phones because the user experience is so horrible. I must admit that some of the newer Android high-end smartphones are quite a bit better. I just question how many of those customers will return.
I never, ever understood how the hell it's a fair comparison to equivocate 'iPhone' with 'Android'. It's what the Apple-haters always do to trump up numbers. How the hell can a phone from a single company be compared to an OS running on pretty much every phone that ISN'T an iPhone? If we're gonna lump almost every single device from the majority of phone manufacturer out there based on the OS, it makes alot more sense to compare Android vs iOS- but then there would be a clear winner, and we wouldn't want that. The fact that this comparison is made (iPhone vs everyone else) and iPhone comes out slightly behind, even, or slightly ahead is pretty mind-blowing and a testament to its success.
I agree. The iPhone versus Android market share argument would be much more credible if Google OEMs or Google itself had more than 20% of the profit share of Apple. Market share doesn't have much value when unsustainable. In addition to a vast majority of profit share, Apple enjoys far superior customer retention based on superior customer satisfaction. Apple provides a much better ecosystem that Apple customers value far more highly resulting in more profit for developers. Given those facts, anyone who believes in the sustainability of Android is incredulous.
It was too long before that people on these boards would grow positively belligerent at the idea that Nokia could be foundering-- they'd talk about that huge bolus of feature phones and good will that held so much of the world in its grip.
Really, just a few short years, and Apple has completely, utterly disrupted the phone business. And yes, I'm including the current state of Android phones as a byproduct of the iPhone.
An easy to use smartphone with a plethora of apps, excellent browser and topnotch media capabilities might have come along eventually, and there would likely have been a steady adoption curve that eventually would have yielded a majority share for smart phones. But not like this, not without the iPhone. And now Apple is doing it again with tablets.
We live in a technological landscape that has been remade and defined by the iPhone. You think all those cool location aware services and social linkups were ever going to be popular on the kinds of phones the iPhone obsoleted? The idea of a capable little computer with ubiquitous connectivity that one carriers around at all times has changed society. Yet somehow Apple is contemptible, stands in the way of progress, never invents anything, just markets well, just steals, is just greedy. Is just one misstep aways from disaster, will presently be exposed as the charlatans they are. I'll never understand the hatred.
It's Slappy, not Slurpy- please don't confuse us.
And no, it's not too bad he got banned. You can probably predict what he would have said/not said.
What?
Read that again, Slurp, my man.
Never would I confuse the two of you,
and I'm well aware that you helped ban
the troll whose loss none here will rue.
We have a different phone market compared to the US. Many people here are on PAYG and as Android phones are cheaper, it makes sense that a lot of them buy an Android. Of course there's PAYG iPhones too.
I'm in the South Eastern United States... and I see iPhones EVERYWHERE.
I was recently at a dance competition with folks from NC, SC, GA and more. It was all iPhones... all the time. Parents, high school kids... nearly every phone in sight was an iPhone.
Lots of dance team directors are now using their iPhones to play their music at these dance competitions... thanks to the plethora of adjustable-tempo music apps.
Again... this is a small part of the US... and an ever smaller subset of parents, kids, dance studios and dance competitions.
But I imagine it's like this in a lot of places.
Didn't AI have a report (and some folks were making a big deal a few weeks ago) about iPhone's share declining in the UK?
So, I guess, that wasn't true, after all?
It's impossible to say which is true. There's no indication of how this analysis was conducted.
I haven't seen the other report. Maybe they cover different time periods or focus on different market segments?
I never, ever understood how the hell it's a fair comparison to equivocate 'iPhone' with 'Android'. It's what the Apple-haters always do to trump up numbers. How the hell can a phone from a single company be compared to an OS running on pretty much every phone that ISN'T an iPhone? If we're gonna lump almost every single device from the majority of phone manufacturer out there based on the OS, it makes alot more sense to compare Android vs iOS- but then there would be a clear winner, and we wouldn't want that. The fact that this comparison is made (iPhone vs everyone else) and iPhone comes out slightly behind, even, or slightly ahead is pretty mind-blowing and a testament to its success.
Long time reader first time responder...
I see your point re comparison against Android but don't agree. Mainly because of the PC comparison. Is it valid to list manufacturers of PCs when comparing against iMac? I don't think so, because people don't tend to say I want an Acer, HP, Lenova etc.. Its PC or Mac - and the view on phones seems to be the same.
Havot
As great as the iPhone is I find it hard to believe that an iPhone (a single device) could overtake (a free OS used on hundred of devices across dozens of vendors). I can why IPod and iPad can get a natural monopoly but could the iPhone do that, too.
Excellent and interesting question!
Also, doesn't Apple enjoy a 90%+ market share in $1000+ laptops, too?
Very impressive, all around.
Best
I see your point re comparison against Android but don't agree. Mainly because of the PC comparison. Is it valid to list manufacturers of PCs when comparing against iMac? I don't think so, because people don't tend to say I want an Acer, HP, Lenova etc.. Its PC or Mac - and the view on phones seems to be the same.
There seem to be two sides to this:
1) Analysts/Journalists,
Who should really, to be honest, compare like with like, ie. iOS with Android, iPhone with Samsung/Motorola/Whatever. It's misrepresentative to do otherwise.
2) Customers/Consumers/Public,
Where iPhone goes up against not just Android now, but often all smartphones/feature phones combined. This is what Apple want. "If it's not an iPhone..." ...it's a piece of crap! This image of the iPhone also comes from it being the only phone (in the UK at least) most people would consider paying for. Literally instead of an iPod.
Must also bear in mind 2 flavours of Android are:
a) Geek Flavour, for those really into their computerry shit, they pay for the "equivalent" Android phones. Very small minority.
b) Crap Flavour, for free, wanna-get-an-iPhone clones of the 3G, with a worse screen and software from the same year. These are POS marketed as being "almost very much just like one of those iPhones!" to young people, replacing Nokia's almost-good attempts at the same game from roughly 2007-9; Nokia have since imploded here thanks to Android. In the UK, Nokia sparked the mobile phone revolution with the 3310. A lot of folks are distraught to see them slowly rot with Ballmer's MS. The "burning platform" was imagined in America.