For the first time since 2012, Apple sold more iPhones in the US than all Android manufacturers taken together
According to just released figures from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, Apple managed to single-handedly best the sum of Android manufacturers in terms of sales in the US in Q4 2014 – something it hasn't done since 2012. The holiday season was an unprecedented success, with the research firm citing Cupertino's strong portfolio that now spans across various form factors and price points and relatively weak high-end Android offerings as the main reason for the surge in iPhone sales.
Apple's sales numbers advantage is tiny, though. Its share grew 3.8% year-on-year in the US, but it only managed a 0.01% lead – a 47.7% iOS share versus 47.6% of the pie for Android (the remaining 4.8% went to Windows Phone (3.8%) and Other (0.8%)). Apple also commands an impressive customer loyalty average of 87% across US and European markets, while Android's finest, Samsung, is significantly behind with 62%. This could mean that unless Android OEMs step their game up in the coming months, this lead could very well widen.
According to Kantar, the charge was led by the iPhone 6, which was the best-selling smartphone in the US during the Christmas season, followed by Samsung's now aging Galaxy S5. The 4.7-inch iPhone 6 was also the most popular smartphone to pass on as a gift.
Android is losing steam in Europe, too, where its share fell 3.8% to 66.1% of the market year-on-year. During that same period, iOS' piece of the pie shot up by 6.2%, largely attributable to the UK's renewed love for the iPhone (iOS sales grew 13.1 there, while Android's went down by 7.5%). Apple has chipped at Android's share in other important markets, too, and with the exception of Japan (-8.5%), iOS grew its sales at the expense of its main rival in Germany, France, Spain, Italy, China, and Australia.
While we won't go as far as claiming that finally going for larger iPhones is what helped Apple shake things up, it does seem likely that folks over at the company are possibly regretting not settling on it sooner.
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