iPhone slips in Europe as Windows Phone claims OVER 10% market share

The UK Register ^ | 12/02/2013 | By Shaun Nichols

[SeekAndFind]

Apple's iPhones are losing ground in Europe as consumers increasingly opt for Android and Windows Phone handsets, according to researchers.

Analysts with Kantar Worldpanel ComTech found that over the third quarter of this year, Apple saw its share of the market in Germany, France, and the UK decline over the same period in 2012, a sign that the release of the iPhone 5s and 5c failed to attract consumers as did the launch of the iPhone 5.

According to the researchers, Apple's overall share of the European market shrank on the quarter from 20.8 per cent to 15.8 per cent. Meanwhile, Android saw its share of the market climb to 70.9 per cent and Windows Phone reeled in a 10.2 per cent share of the market, up from just 4.8 per cent for the previous year's quarter.

[14erClimb]

Patent trolls getting their just desserts. Stop suing the competition and get back to what got you there: innovation!

[freedumb2003]

>>Patent trolls getting their just desserts. Stop suing the competition and get back to what got you there: innovation!<<

If Windows 8.x is “innovation” I vote for “denovation.”

[4rcane]

the recently iphone releases have been lackluster and color combinations were ugly

[adorno]

Patent trolls getting their just desserts. Stop suing the competition and get back to what got you there: innovation!

What innovation are you talking about?

Apple basically stops innovating after the iPhone was introduced back in 2007. What consumers continued to get was the same basic iPhone tech with slight increments in features with each new release.

As far as technology is concerned, the competition surpassed Apple's devices a couple of years ago, and it's Apple that is trying to keep up. Apple's only hope to stay competitive, is to continue the perception that they offer a premium device, and they way they do that is by keeping prices up. They could easily sell a lot more iPHones by lowering prices, and still make good profits with them. But, NO!!!, the premium perception is what they're shooting for.

Marketshare loss will eventually be the downfall of Apple, and that increase in marketshare by Windows Phones and Android, will have people noticing that they don't have to pay premium prices to get a great smartphone that can work with any cell-plan provider. When people start realizing that they don't really need an iPHone, Apple's marketshare will start to dwindle even more, to the point that Windows Phones will be number 2 in the world, with Android still enjoying #1 status for a while.

Apple is somewhat in the same position that RIM was at several years ago, and they didn't see the market start moving away from them until it was too late.

[adorno]

There’s a lot more innovation in Windows 8/8.1 than in Android and iOS combined.

That you might not see it, or like it, is besides the real point.

[BRK]

iPhone screen is too small these days. That’s all there is too it. If they up it to 4.75” or 5”, they’ll be back in the driver’s seat. It really is the best phone and the new one is so fast. Problem is they have said 40,000 times that big bright screens are no good and whatever size their phone is the perfect size. Nobody but fan boys are buying that story line anymore, no matter how calmly and whispery Jony Ive says it.

[circlecity]

Since by now most smart phones all do the same thing and there is no real performance difference, I would imagine cost is the biggest consideration for most purchasers.

[staytrue]

“I would imagine cost is the biggest consideration for most purchasers.”

You don’t have a girl friend do you ?

Well when you go for the diamondm, keep telling yourself that.

[Dexter Morgan]

My company bought me my first Apple product this year, the Iphone 5. It’s a nice piece of hardware, but the transition into their ecosystem (icloud, itunes, etc.) takes too long for people like me who want to plug and play.

I want to attach my phone to my computer, open my phone folder, and drag and drop my files into my phone. I don’t want to go through a separate program that converts my files, then transfers them. Drag and drop...it should be that simple.

I still have 1 song that will not transfer to my iphone, even though the rest of the album transferred. At the very least they could give me a two-touch option to assign a song as my wife’s ring tone. Why, in 2013, do I still have to use the same lame factory ringtones that I used 12 years ago on my ham-radio phone?

I hate using Apple synth-guitar when I know I could be using Jimmi Hendrix on Android or Windows.

/rant

[circlecity]

"You don’t have a girl friend do you ?"

No I have a wife. And I buy her much more romantic gifts than a cell phone. A cell phone is a tool and I buy the cheapest one that will get this job done.

[Wooly]

Only in the USA, where the Apple marketing theme that owning an iPhone makes you into something you really aren't, that the iphone is a sales leader. (Kinda like the old guy who buys a Corvette and then believes that young women will suddenly notice that he is not old and overweight.) The rest of the world buys android.
It is good to see the Windows Phone slowly moving up, which with the CEO change at MS, might result in the correcting of it shortcomings (ie: app availability)
I have owned a Windows 7 phone and found it to be one of the most intuitive operating system there is and smooth.

[dfwgator]

Only in the USA, where the Apple marketing theme that owning an iPhone makes you into something you really aren't, that the iphone is a sales leader.

"Well he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't have the same smartphone as me...."

[USNBandit]

I agree, iTunes sucks.

[dfwgator]

Apple basically stops innovating after the iPhone was introduced back in 2007. What consumers continued to get was the same basic iPhone tech with slight increments in features with each new release.

Reminds me of this Bloom County cartoon:

[freedumb2003]

There’s a lot more innovation in Windows 8/8.1 than in Android and iOS combined.

Did you sell a lot of these:

Salesmenship<>adoption.

Note I did NOT accuse you of being an obozocare salesman...

Windows 8.x is the most hated OS since ME.

[BunnySlippers]

I don’t like big screens and will stop buying the iPhone if the screen gets too big.

[14erClimb]

Apple basically stops innovating after the iPhone was introduced back in 2007

That's exactly what I'm talking about. Since then, they've dared to sue anybody that makes a "rounded rectangle" device. Most notably Samsung.

[sportutegrl]

Lotus 123, Wordperfect, Netscape Navigator. Coming soon to the trash heap of history: Iphone and Android.

[BillM]

You might want to try out windows phone 8. It integrates very well with windows desktop. Windows 8.1 is easy to use. If you prefer windows 7, just install FREE windows classic shell. Voila - windows 7 UI!