Apple Grabbing Smartphone Market Share Ping!
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
Posted on 01/07/2015 5:49:10 PM PST by Swordmaker
Android's share of the smartphone market has shrunk in the U.S. for the first time since 2013, according to new research, as the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus helped Apple's iOS make market-share gains around the world.
The market share of Android -- the mobile operating software developed by Google – fell by 2 percentage points, year-on-year, in the U.S. over the three months ending November 2014, according to Kantar Worldpanel on Wednesday.
It also slipped by over 3 percentage points across Europe's five biggest countries, and tanked by 6.7 percentage points in the U.K.
Dominic Sunnebo, the strategic insight director at Kantar, predicted more gains for Apple in the future due to the popularity of its newest iPhone models.
"The longer the new iPhone models are on the market the more their appeal will extend beyond Apple's loyal customers," he said in a press release.
Officially released in stores in September, sales of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus across the world topped 10 million in on the first weekend, according to Apple, managing to eclipse the launch figures of the previous 5S and 5C models.
Customers switching from Android to iOS – Apple's iOS -- remains stable at 18 percent, according to the Kantar, although it was especially pronounced in certain regions.
Between September and November 2014, Apple's share of the market grew to 42.5 percent in the U.K -- a growth rate of 12.2 percentage points year-on-year.
In the U.S., Apple accounted for 47.4 percent of sales, 4.3 percentage points higher than during the same period in 2013. Meanwhile in China, Apple sales increased by 1.1 percentage points, bringing Apple's share of the smartphone market to 18.1 percent.
"Android fatigue is setting in," Neil Mawston, mobile analyst at Strategy Analytics, told CNBC via email. "Android, rather like Symbian a few years ago, has become too popular for its own good."
Mawston argued in November 2014 that Android's market share could have peaked, suggesting that some device manufacturers no longer wanted to put all their eggs in one "Android basket." Instead, some were searching for alternative platforms to work with, such as Microsoft or Firefox, according to Mawston.
However, it might not be all bad news for Android and its ecosystem, which still dominates in every region except Japan, according to the data.
Carolina Milanesi, chief of research at Kantar Worldpanel, stressed that Android (unlike iOS) is used by a range of brands, and it is these consumers driving the different fortunes for each of the players in the ecosystem.
Thus, Kantar's research showed that Samsung - which uses Android - was seeing some sales pressure and market share decline, but Motorola's - which also uses Android - share grew thanks to the Moto X and Moto G models "offering good value for the money."
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
What a dumbass column!
The Apple fanboys are getting their thongs in a wad.
And you felt compelled to comment and insult fellow Freepers, WHY? You must be a sufferer from MAPS.
Swordmaker's and Kathy's proposed diagnosis for the new ICD-10 addenda:
90210 iOS Munchausen's Apple-Plexy Syndrome (MAPS), The overwhelming compulsion to post negative, judgmental, aggressive, and false commentary on any website thread related to Apple products wherever found, including phobic reaction to projected Apple user euphoria. First and subsequent encounters.
“insult fellow Freepers”
Huh, where did you get that in my post?
I'm still clinging to my iPhone 5 because my contract is not up until end of March. But you can bet I'll be picking up an iPhone 6 at that time so I can get in on all the fun.
You don't think that there are a lot of Apple users on FreeRepublic. Most of them don't appreciate the term "fanboys" or terms like "thongs in a wad." We have put up with the snarky negative posts for too long. If you didn't mean it that way, I apologize.
I think it is an unconscious urge among some. They don't even realize when the do it, as witness caver's response to my mild rebuke. It has become second nature to assume that Apple users will just accept the "joking" insults and slurs. . . supposedly targeted to everyone else out there, but not to someone closer that might be hit by their snarky commentary.
My wife got an iPhone after both of us using Android phones for 2 years now, and we both fund iOS cumbersome and excessively time-consuming to navigate. I think it is likely better for first-timers. But Android’s ability to rapidly access every area, and customize is really hard to do without.
Are these folks dancers or Apple salesmen? Otherwise, doesn't sound like they're being all that productive....
My 6 plus gives me a little wood - I’m lovin it
Of course the iPhone is making them more productive. They now have time to dance down the hallways on their way to their next meeting.
Many of the other Android phone makers make only Feature phones, only basic phones, and a few make only smartphones. . . but to say that ALL Androids are smartphones competing for the same market as Apple for the same customers is false; it just isn't true.
For example, Xiaomi, the current market leader in China makes a mix of Android dumb, feature, and smartphones (which are copies of iPhones) but it turns out that they could grab the Chinese market through low price leadership (and making smartphones that looked like iPhones in both exterior and UI screens) but also by achieving their low prices with the simple expediency of not paying royalties and/or licensing for the any of the cell phone technology they are using in their phones. When they attempted to move into the India Market in the last quarter, the legal system in India discovered this and has banned and confiscated their products pending infringement litigation from quite a few companies, including Cisco, Microsoft, Nokia, and others, whose intellectual property has been allegedly appropriated without compensation by Xiaomi.
The other distortion is that it is comparing one company's OS, Apple's iOS, against hundreds of others in the case of Android (Approximately 225 to be more accurate) and less than a dozen in the case of Windows phone. Other refers to only a couple of OS makers such as RIM and Samsung's new OS which is failing.
How can it be cumbersome and time-consuming to navigate? You can put anything you want on your home screen. . . and on your dock. Instant access. People you want to dial, on your favorites screen, in any order you choose. Or you can tell SIRI to start any app you want or call anyone you want. How is that cumbersome? Apparently you just don't know how to use it to the best advantage and are used to the much more cumbersome user interface of Android.
This idea you cannot customize iPhones is false.
Android dominates in so many areas...
except profits.
I have a Mac and an iPhone. Love them both.
I’m not a “fanboy” and I don’t wear thongs.
So, yeah, you did insult me.
What you’re really telling us is that you’re unfamiliar with the iPhone interface.
Untrue. I am very familiar with it, having owned a 4s, then moving on to an Android model for two years. Moving BACK to the iPhone it does seem to take longer to do the same things by comparison. iOS 8 helps, but not quite enough.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.