iPhone 5 sees Apple take bite out of Android
THE LAUNCH of the iPhone 5 led to Apple regaining the initiative in the smartphone wars in recent weeks, data released yesterday showed.
US sales of iPhones overtook those of smartphones running Google’s software, Android, during the 12 week period to 28 October, figures from researchers Kantar Worldpanel showed.
It is the first time since February – when sales of the previous iPhone 4S were declining – that this has been the case.
The boost follows September’s release of the iPhone 5, which has seen record sales in the early weeks of its release.
In major European countries, Android retained its lead, but its market share was much reduced in the period. In the UK, sales of iOS phones – just the iPhone – were up to 32.7 per cent, compared to Android’s 54.2 per cent.
Phones running Android include Samsung’s Galaxy models, as well as handsets from HTC, Sony and LG.
The data showed an improvement from Microsoft’s Windows Phone software, as well as a marked decline in sales of Research in Motion (RIM)’s BlackBerry ahead of the launch of its next generation of model. BlackBerry accounted for eight per cent of sales in the UK, while Windows Phone took 4.6 per cent.
Kantar’s Dominic Sunnebo said Apple’s market share will continue to improve, as the next set of data will include 12 weeks of iPhone 5 sales, rather than the six weeks included in this period.