For
the first time since 2012, iOS is the most popular smartphone and
tablet operating system in the iPhone’s homeland and it’s also gaining
in Europe and China.
However,
according to the latest figures from Kantar Wordpanel ComTech, which
cover the final quarter of 2014, the lead was tiny.
The
iPhone 6 may well have been the most popular smartphone in terms of
sales throughout the US holiday season but despite record-breaking
sales, not just in the US but around the globe, Apple’s lead over
Android was just 0.1%. Apple accounted for 47.4% of all smartphones sold
in December in the US and Android for 47.6%.
“While
the success of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus is unprecedented, this quarter’s
performance also points to Apple having its strongest portfolio ever.
With a range of devices available at different price points in both
contract and pre-pay Apple was able to take advantage of a weaker
Android offering at the premium end of the market,” said Carolina
Milanesi, chief of research at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.
Apple’s
gains at Android’s expense weren’t limited to its homeland. Across the
five major European countries Android saw it share fall by 3.8
percentage points and iOS climb 6.2 percentage points year-on-year with
the UK giving the iPhone its biggest push. British consumer demand for
the Apple device saw iOS market share jump by 13.3 percentage points.
“Italy
was the only European market where Android grew,” said Dominic Sunnebo,
strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech Europe.
“Considering the strong pre-pay market and the wider direct channel it
is not a surprise that Android products — with their value for money
proposition — continue to appeal to Italian consumers.”
China
also proved to be a fertile ground. Nearly one in four Chinese
consumers to have snapped up an iPhone over the last quarter of 2014
were buying their very first smartphone of any description.
“In
Urban China, Apple iOS grew share year-on-year at the expense of
Android,” explained Tamsin Timpson, strategic insight director at Kantar
Worldpanel ComTech Asia. “While Xiaomi remained the bestselling brand
in the latest period, Apple was able to close the gap slightly, growing
its share to 21.5% from 19% last year.”
Posted by : Gizmeon
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