According to stats compiled by Counterpoint Research, in the U.S. during the just passed holiday season, Apple recaptured the top spot in smartphone market share. The iPhone grabbed 43% of the market during the festive period, while Samsung's slice of the stateside smartphone pie slumped to 30% from 34%. The success of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 had given Samsung the lead in November, but the Apple iPhone 5s was helped by Black Friday discounts that started in late November. The sales momentum lasted up through Christmas Day.
Retailers cited in Counterpoint's report, such as Walmart, Best Buy and Fry, discounted the Apple iPhone 5s and Apple iPhone 5c by $30 to $85 dollars. Also mentioned in the report as being beneficial for Apple's December sales, was a $100 discount applied by Sprint to the iPhone 5c. Ludolf Ebner, Partner at Counterpoint Research, said Apple also saw month-over-month strength in European sales. Ebner says that Apple has now cleared its inventory channel unlike the previous year when the company was backed up with unsold units.
"Without any more constraints from the supply chain, aggressive promotions, support from the retail and operator channels and unprecedented consumer demand across US, iPhone 5s sales jumped more than 25% sequentially. Effective promotions also helped Apple correct iPhone 5c inventory, bringing it to a manageable level compared to the start of the quarter. What we saw was a little bit surprising but essentially 'calculated aggression' from Apple to ward off competition by offering so many discounts and giveaways for just a three month old portfolio, a very hard deal to resist for consumers."-Neil Shah, Research Director, Counterpoint Research
Apple and Samsung together had nearly 75% of smartphone market share in the U.S. for December, followed by LG. After a couple of good months in October or November, the Korean manufacturer took a step backward last month. Motorola had the same exact story. Counterpoint blamed a lack of Motorola Moto G supply for a drop in the Google subsidiary's U.S. smartphone market share in December. HTC and Nokia round out the top six smartphone manufacturers in the U.S., according to the report.
Apple recaptured the U.S. smartphone market share lead in December
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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