Chart: Android owns two-thirds of smartphone sales – or does it?

By Ed Sutherland on May 1, 2013

Some intriguing numbers were released Monday on how one research firm views the smartphone race between iOS and Android. According to Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, Google’s Android averages a 64 percent unit share of the smartphone market across ten countries.

Apple leads in Japan while Android’s doing its best in Spain, where the mobile software owns an astounding 93 percent of the smartphone market.

In the U.S., the race is much tighter, with Android holding 49.3 percent and Apple owning 43.7 percent of the domestic market. But the rivals might be even closer as observers question how accurate Kantar is, given recent iPhone sales reports by U.S. carriers… Read More

 

Handset cost: a common reason why people go Android

By Ed Sutherland on Apr 1, 2013

Evidence supporting a call for Apple to produce a budget-minded smartphone keeps mounting. The latest evidence: Android’s market share lead over iOS in the US is widening, according to research concluded in February. What once was a 2-point domestic lead for Google’s mobile software in 2012 has stretched to 8 points.

Android now has just over half of the US smartphone market with 51.2 percent of sales, according to a survey by Kantar Worldpanel. That is a gain from 47 percent during the same period a year ago. Apple’s iOS is in second place in the U.S. with 43.5 percent of smartphone sales, a 3.5 percent slip from 2012, according to Kantar… Read More

 

Kantar: discounts help Android pass iOS in US smartphone sales

By Ed Sutherland on Feb 25, 2013

Oh, what a difference a month makes. That could be the message from new research giving Android the lead in U.S. smartphone sales during the three-month period ending in January 2012.

Apple’s iOS had held the U.S. smartphones sales lead up through December. The new data gives Android 49.9 percent of domestic smartphone sales, with iOS taking second place with 45.9 percent.

The new standings means Google’s mobile software added 6.4 percent of U.S. sales, compared to a year ago. Meanwhile, the lock on U.S. smartphone sales fell 4.7 percent from the same period in 2011. The flip-flop on the No. 1 and No. 2 spots was linked to a Sprint price cut for Samsung’s Galaxy S3 during the final three months of 2012… Read More

 

More research shows Apple leads in US with 51% of smartphone market

By Ed Sutherland on Jan 22, 2013

Apple’s iOS has more than 51 percent of the US smartphone market, leading Google’s Android, which claims just over 42 percent of the American market share, according to new figures released Tuesday. The numbers are just the latest prior to Apple’s quarterly sales report expected later this week. Handset sales research firm Kantar announced Apple gained 6.3 percent of the domestic smartphone market, fueled largely by demand for the iPhone 5. Meanwhile, Android sales in the US slowed lightly, shedding 0.6 percent from the same 12-week period in 2011… Read More

 

Kantar: the iPhone is America’s top smartphone as Android falters

By Ed Sutherland on Jan 7, 2013

Apple’s iOS is now the top-selling smartphone operating system in the United States, capturing for the first time more than 50 percent of sales, a new survey finds.

The improvement is the result of repeat iPhone buyers and new smartphone owners purchasing the discounted iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S, researchers say.

Android sales fell to 41.9 percent of the US market, a 10.9 percent drop during the same three-month period ended November 25. Meanwhile, Microsoft landed in third place, registering just 2.7 percent of smartphones sold domestically… Read More

 

iPhone 5 helps Apple regain lead over Android in US smartphone market

By Ed Sutherland on Nov 27, 2012

Apple’s iPhone 5 has helped the California-based gadget maker propel itself into the first place in the United States, topping Google’s Android in arguably the world’s most important smartphone market. Specifically, Apple’s iPhone doubled its share of US smartphone sales and now enjoys a 48.1 percent share compared to 46.7 percent for Android.

The last time Apple held the lead in the US smartphone market was after the introduction of the iPhone 4S. Market research firm Kantar Worldpanel ComTech announced Tuesday Google’s mobile operating system still dominates in Europe, where it holds up to 81 percent of the market share in some countries… Read More