Research Firm says Apple doubled its U.S. smartphone market share in Q4, topped Android
What a quarter it was for Apple in the three months ended in December. Thanks to the amazing total of 37 million Apple iPhone copies that were sold in the period, the Cupertino based firm's share of the U.S. smartphone market doubled in the quarter. According to research firm Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, Apple's Stateside smartphone market share doubled to 44.9% during the three months and in the process, allowed Apple to overtake Android by the slimmest of margins. Android's U.S. market share slipped to 44.8% from last year's 50% tally.
Dominic Sunnebo, global consumer insight director at the research firm, said that Apple iPhone sales were strong in the U.S, U.K. and Australia during the Xmas shopping season. He added that in the nine countries that his firm covers, Apple iPhone sales continue to outperform sales of Android models. Motorola, HTC and Sony Ericsson in particular had a rough three month period according to Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.
Sunnebo expects Microsoft's mobile OS to garner a 10% share of U.K. smartphone sales in the second half of 2012. He adds that the platform needs a few more successful and competitive handsets before it can challenge iOS, Android and BlackBerry in the region.
source: Reuters
The research firm added that despite the high profile launch of the Nokia Lumia series, market share of Windows Phone flavored handsets remain under 2% in the nine countries tracked by Kantar. Despite high hopes for the Nokia Lumia 800, the model could not crack the Top Ten handset list in Britain by the end of Q4. Nokia had said that the model had produced the best first week sales figures of any recently launched Nokia phone in the U.K., but sales apparently cooled off quickly.
source: Reuters
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