iPhone 5 sales send Apple back to the top in US

Android drops to second place as iOS takes 48.1 per cent of smartphone market share.
Apple has overtaken Android to reclaim top spot in the US smartphone market, as iPhone 5 sales begin to soar.
New smartphone sales data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech show that iOS has a 48.1 per cent share of US smartphone sales, with Android taking 46.7 per cent of the market. This is in no small part due to the growing uptake of Apple’s iPhone five over the past 12 weeks.
Dominic Sunnebo, global consumer insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, commented: “The last time we saw iOS overtake Android in the US was when the iPhone 4S was released and Apple managed to retain its lead for three consecutive periods. This time we predict that Apple will beat its previous high of 49.3 per cent and achieve its highest ever share of the US smartphone market within the next two periods.”
Despite Apple’s lead in the US, it continues to chase Android in the European smartphone market, whose dominance is represented by 73.9 per cent of sales in Germany and 81.7 per cent in Spain. However, Apple now has share gains in four of Europe’s five major countries, most notably in Britain, where it holds a share of 32.7 per cent.
Sunnebo continued: “Germany remains a tough market for Apple with its share falling by 5.1 per centage points over the past year. The Samsung Galaxy S3 has taken almost a quarter of the country’s smartphone sales over the past 12 weeks to boost Android yet further. In Italy, strong sales of the Nokia Lumia 610, the fourth best selling handset over the past 12 weeks, and the Nokia Lumia 800, the seventh best selling, have helped drive Windows’ share up to 11.7 per cent – the highest across Europe.”
The majority of iPhone 5 sales in the US have come from existing Apple owners, with 62 per cent upgrading to the new device. However, Apple has also benefitted from consumers switching from Android devices (13 per cent), people switching from BlackBerry devices (six per cent) and a small number of first time smartphone owners.
“Apple has always managed to maintain loyalty levels far above the competition, and this has clearly played a part in driving sales of its new device,” Sunnebo added. “An impressive 92 per cent of existing Apple owners in the US said they will choose an iPhone the next time they upgrade. While loyalty is clearly key, it is also important to make sure that new customers are attracted to your brand. With roughly 60 per cent of US iPhone 5 sales coming from existing customers and 40 per cent from new consumers, Apple is achieving this at the moment – a clear sign of the strength of the brand in the US marketplace.”

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