Before the release of iPhone 5, Apple smartphones weren’t the hottest items in the US and soon Samsung’s Galaxy sales topped the market. But now that the new device is selling, both iPhone 5 and iOS are at the top of the US smartphone market once again.
It was a good run for Samsung Galaxy S III at the top of the smartphone market, but iPhone 5 got its crown back. The launch of iPhone 5 has boosted Apple all the way back to the top of the smartphone market, with sales that account for 48.1 percent of the entire market. That means iOS is once again more popular than Android.
“The last time we saw iOS overtake Android in the US when the iPhone 4S was released and Apple managed to retain its lead for three consecutive periods” said Dominic Sunnebo, global consumer insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. “This time we predict that Apple will beat its previous high of 49.3 percent and achieve its highest ever share of the US smartphone market within the next two periods” he added.
On the overall, Apple’s US market share was more than double compared to last quarters and it is close to breaking a record for itself. However, Apple’s share in the biggest European markets has dropped considerably in the past 12 weeks, but it remains at the top with 46.7 percent (down from 63.3 percent). In Germany, the iPhone has 74 percent of the market share, while in Spain it’s 82 percent.
Although analysts aren’t worried about Apple’s low sales quarters, consumers dropped Apple in favor of Samsung, tired of waiting for the company to release the next best thing. In Europe, Samsung Galaxy S3 took over iPhone’s frontrunner position easily. “Germany remains a tough market for Apple with its share falling by 5.1 percentage points over the past year” said Sunnebo. “The Samsung Galaxy S3 has taken almost a quarter of the country’s smartphone sales over the past 12 weeks to boost Android yet further”.
The key to Apple’s success are committed users. “An impressive 92% of existing Apple owners in the U.S. said they will choose an iPhone the next time they upgrade” explained the Kantar Worldpanel ComTech director. About 60 percent of U.S. iPhone 5 sales are coming from existing customers and 40 percent from new customers.
