Apple takes number two spot behind Samsung for all US mobile marketshare

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
For the first time since market analysis firm comScore began tracking mobile phone use in the U.S., Apple has taken the second place spot overall, exhibiting positive growth to edge out LG while nipping at the heels of leader Samsung.

comScore Overall Share
Source: comScore


According to data from the comScore MobiLens service, Apple jumped from third place at the end July to second place three months later, garnering a 17.8 percent share of the U.S. smartphone market while LG fell to 17.6 percent.

Overall, Apple's iPhone saw the highest level of growth with a 1.5 percent positive change over the three months ending in October as three of the top five phone makers saw declines, with LG, Motorola and HTC losing 0.8 percent, 0.2 percent and 0.4 percent of the U.S. market, respectively. Top brand Samsung saw gains of 0.7 percent, meaning Apple's handset lineup more than doubled the performance of the South Korean company's combined growth in smartphones and feature phones.

At the end of the three month period, Samsung was still the market's dominant player, and held well over one-fourth of all U.S. mobile users with 26.3 percent. Following Apple's 17.8 percent share of all mobile subscribers was LG with 17.6 percent, Motorola with 11 percent and HTC with 6 percent.

comScore Smartphone Share


In general, the consumer shift toward smartphones continued during the three months as some 121.3 million people owned a handset by the end of October, which represented a 51.9 percent penetration of the mobile market. Google's Android was once again the top performer, mirroring similar worldwide numbers, and finished with 53.6 percent of the U.S. market, up 1.4 percent from July. Apple's iOS managed 0.9 percent growth during the same period, bringing its share of the market to 34.3 percent. Continuing its steep fall, RIM lost 1.7 percent of the smartphone base and now stands with a 7.8 percent share, followed by Windows Phone and Symbian, which managed to eke out a 3.2 percent and 0.6 percent share, respectively.

Apple rise can be attributed to the record-setting launch of its iPhone 5 handset, which hit store shelves at the end of September, though a sellout of initial stock could mean the company will see further gains through the holiday season as supply stabilizes.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 82
    Why do I feel tense about the tense in this article? :) Proofreaders don't work on Sundays I guess.
  • Reply 2 of 82
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Surely I'm being pedantic here but I'd say Apple has plenty of ground to make up before it's nipping at Samsung's heels.

    Assuming the growth rate stays constant Apple will increase by 0.8 points every 4 months, or 2.4 points per year. At this rate, with a current divide of 8.5 points it will take over 3.5 before they are tied.
  • Reply 3 of 82
    Oh no. Looks like Shamsung will have to spend even MORE money in advertising to try to hold off Apple.
  • Reply 4 of 82
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member


    Once again, the big loser here:


     


    Windows Phone.

  • Reply 5 of 82

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Quadra 610 View Post


    Once again, the big loser here:


     


    Windows Phone.



     


    Well, NOKIA, too.

  • Reply 6 of 82

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Dookie Howsre View Post



    Oh no. Looks like Shamsung will have to spend even MORE money in advertising to try to hold off Apple.


     


    Those Samsung commercials showing iSheep standing in line acting like they have a case of Samsung Galaxy envy? It's a fandroid fantasy.

  • Reply 7 of 82


    No, WP8 phone is not yet a loser here as it wasn't released officially until mid October 2012. Those WP numbers are for previous versions. Numbers for Q4-2012 and Q1-2013 will tell a more telling story about any shifting in market share for any of these systems and on whether Apple gains any market share with its new iPhone 5.


    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Quadra 610 View Post


    Once again, the big loser here:


     


    Windows Phone.


  • Reply 8 of 82
    Samsung and Android have the market share for a few reasons,

    1: No Licence fee - meaning Android runs on everything thats not made by Apple and Nokia. This is Googles sly tactic to be able to track as many people it can.
    2: Carriers push phones that can preinstall bloatware.
    3: People who want a new but don't care what it does beside txt and calls and up with a Samsung thanks to reason #2

    Its been shown many times that iOS is FAR more profitable to develop apps & games for than Android. I wonder how much the refund policy from Google play has to do with this?
  • Reply 9 of 82

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post



    Surely I'm being pedantic here but I'd say Apple has plenty of ground to make up before it's nipping at Samsung's heels.

    Assuming the growth rate stays constant Apple will increase by 0.8 points every 4 months, or 2.4 points per year. At this rate, with a current divide of 8.5 points it will take over 3.5 before they are tied.


     


    Yet the fandroids love to portray Samsung as the underdog, while big bad Apple is bullying everyone around. Their reality is very flexible. I have to point out that Apple is very late to the phone business, and they have just one current model. Samsung and the rest sell a flood of phones at every price point, running various operating systems.

  • Reply 10 of 82
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    Oh no. Looks like Shamsung will have to spend even MORE money in advertising to try to hold off Apple.
    Well they already spend something like $13B on marketing and advertising so they can afford it. We know why the S3 is so popular. Samsung can afford to market the crap out of it.
  • Reply 11 of 82
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    solipsismx wrote: »
    Surely I'm being pedantic here but I'd say Apple has plenty of ground to make up before it's nipping at Samsung's heels.
    Assuming the growth rate stays constant Apple will increase by 0.8 points every 4 months, or 2.4 points per year. At this rate, with a current divide of 8.5 points it will take over 3.5 before they are tied.
    Yet Woz says Apple's days of domination are over. I'd love for him to tell us exactly what market Apple dominates. :\

    http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/rivals-taking-bite-out-of-us-apple-co-founder-steve-wozniak-says/story-fnb64oi6-1226528787362
  • Reply 12 of 82
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Yet the fandroids love to portray Samsung as the underdog, while big bad Apple is bullying everyone around. Their reality is very flexible. I have to point out that Apple is very late to the phone business, and they have just one current model. Samsung and the rest sell a flood of phones at every price point, running various operating systems.

    It is amusing how Android and all their vendors are the underdog. It's not hard to come across comments that portray Apple as having a "head start" in the smartphone market, but I guess that's what you have to say once their claims in 2007 that the iPhone will fail because it doesn't have a keyboard and uses horrible technology like a glass touchscreen instead of plastic.
  • Reply 13 of 82
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by fireside View Post


    No, WP8 phone is not yet a loser here as it wasn't released officially until mid October 2012. Those WP numbers are for previous versions. Numbers for Q4-2012 and Q1-2013 will tell a more telling story about any shifting in market share for any of these systems and on whether Apple gains any market share with its new iPhone 5.



     


    Windows Phone release:  October 2010. You can call it 7, 7.whatever, 8, etc. It's *already* been consigned to oblivion by consumers. In fact, it has done nothing but lose share for over two years now. The needle has barely budged, even after all the monumental marketing efforts by Nokia and Microsoft. 


     


     


     


    Quote:

    Originally Posted by fireside View Post


     and on whether Apple gains any market share with its new iPhone 5.


     



     


    It should be obvious they will. It's a new iPhone. This holiday quarter belongs to Apple. 

  • Reply 14 of 82
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    rogifan wrote: »
    Yet Woz says Apple's days of domination are over. I'd love for him to tell us exactly what market Apple dominates. :\
    http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/rivals-taking-bite-out-of-us-apple-co-founder-steve-wozniak-says/story-fnb64oi6-1226528787362

    Financially, all the HW markets they are in. PC, PMP, handset, and tablet.
  • Reply 15 of 82
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    solipsismx wrote: »
    Financially, all the HW markets they are in. PC, PMP, handset, and tablet.
    yes I know that, but somehow I doubt Woz was referring to profit margins. Sad thing is I think there are a lot of people who think Apple dominates just because they get so much press ink. And for many perceived domination = hatred.
  • Reply 16 of 82
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    rogifan wrote: »
    yes I know that, but somehow I doubt Woz was referring to profit margins. Sad thing is I think there are a lot of people who think Apple dominates just because they get so much press ink. And for many perceived domination = hatred.

    They do dominate in mindshare. Asymco posted an article recently about marketing costs. Apple pays very little but seems to be everywhere. I guess that domination could drop but I don't see it happening anytime soon. I like Woz but I wouldn't look to him to predict market trends.


    1000


    PS: Everyone knows Apple dominates because they charge so much for their machines. If only other vendors weren't so altruistic to charge you so little that they lose money nearly every quarter. :p
  • Reply 17 of 82
    v5vv5v Posts: 1,357member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post



    [...] We know why the S3 is so popular. Samsung can afford to market the crap out of it.


     


    That, and the fact that it's a decent product. If I wasn't invested in an Apple environment I'd consider it.


     


    I wish there was an iPhone with a screen that size.

  • Reply 18 of 82
    gwmacgwmac Posts: 1,807member
    I think Apple can only grow so big as long as they keep the iPhone at 4". Sure there are people like me that grumble and moan about wanting a bigger screen but usually buy an iPhone anyways because of brand loyalty and because it works well in our Mac ecosystems. I am more or less happy with my 4S but the small screen does get on my nerves. When my upgrade credit rolls around in June I will probably go back to an Android if the iPhone 5S or 6 or whatever it will be called is rumored to keep just a 4" screen which is highly likely. I got to play with my friends galaxy Note II and fell in love with that screen and also with jellybean. It was so much better than Android 2.3 that I used before I got my iPhone.

    I understand many people prefer a smaller 4" screen and that is fine. I just wish we had a choice and Apple decides to offer a larger version as well. As an Apple follower for several decades I realize the chance of that is slim to none, but one can hope. But when you ask a lot of Android owners why they got the SIII or other phones over an iPhone almost all of them will point to the screen size as the main deciding factor. Android also plays pretty well with Macs now, so not so hard to switch back and forth like it used to be years ago. If Apple doesn't make a larger screen, then iOS 7 better include some awesome new features to keep me from switching.
  • Reply 19 of 82
    igrivigriv Posts: 1,177member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post


     


    Yet the fandroids love to portray Samsung as the underdog, while big bad Apple is bullying everyone around. Their reality is very flexible. I have to point out that Apple is very late to the phone business, and they have just one current model. Samsung and the rest sell a flood of phones at every price point, running various operating systems.



     

    #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }

    I could be wrong, but I don't think Samsung had huge market share before the iPhone came out (the big platforms were Symbian, BB, and Windows Phone, and HTC was the biggest player in that space). Re many models: apple sells several iPhone versions. And as for being the underdog, Apple makes more money (probably by a factor of two or three) than all of the competition combined, so in terms of profits Samsung is definitely the underdog.


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  • Reply 20 of 82
    igrivigriv Posts: 1,177member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post





    Yet Woz says Apple's days of domination are over. I'd love for him to tell us exactly what market Apple dominates. image

    http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/rivals-taking-bite-out-of-us-apple-co-founder-steve-wozniak-says/story-fnb64oi6-1226528787362


     

    #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }

     


    #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }

    When was the last time Woz said something intelligent?


    #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }

     

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