On Apple’s home turf, Android phones accounted for 52 percent of American smartphone sales, with iPhones trailing at 41.9 percent. In China, Android-powered handsets commanded 71.5 percent of the market share. The iPhone was in second place with 23.6 percent of sales. Samsung phones lead the Android surge in popularity.
“Samsung now finds itself in a position where, after two years of relentless growth, it must focus on keeping its existing base of customers loyal if it is to maintain its success. With the competition dramatically upping their game in terms of build quality and content innovation, Samsung will have to work hard to convince its 8.8 million customers to stick with the brand,” said Paul Moore, global director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.
The Kantar report also showed that Windows-powered smartphones had eclipsed BlackBerry in sales. Windows phones were ranked third in overall market share across all regions in the study.
“Both BlackBerry and Symbian posted large year-over-year declines in shipments and market share. However, BlackBerry’s new BB10 platform might help the smartphone maker bounce back,” said the International Business Times.
In May, a study from the International Data Corporation (IDC) showed that Android’s market share increased by 15.9 percent, from 59.1 percent of all phones sold in the first quarter of 2012 to a staggering 75 percent of all smartphones sales during the same period this year.
Even as Android’s growth skyrockets, Samsung’s share of the Android market itself continues to rise. “Samsung was once again the clear leader among all Android smartphone vendors, commanding 41.1 percent market share,” reported the IDC.
That study also revealed the two most popular phones for the first quarter. The iPhone 5 took 15 percent of the market, while the Samsung Galaxy SIII captured 11.4 percent. The Galaxy S4 was a second quarter release in many markets and was not included in the IDC report.
In May, the Galaxy S4 was the top-selling phone on three out of four U.S. mobile carriers. Yesterday, South Korea’s Yonhap News reported that 20 million Galaxy S4 handsets have been sold since the phone’s launch.
Source: http://to.ly/mf5d
