The sales boost that the iPhone 6 has given Apple has allowed iOS sales to overtake Android in the US for the first time in three years.
Strong iPhone 6 sales helped Apple iOS’s reclaim the top smartphone OS spot in the U.S. in the fourth quarter, after ceding the title to Android two years ago.
However, Apple’s market share edge was incredibly thin: 0.1 percent, according to data from research firm Kantar Worldpanel shows. Apple’s mobile OS made up 47.7 percent of U.S. smartphone sales during 2014’s fourth quarter, beating Android’s 47.6 percent market share. It’s the first time since 2012’s fourth quarter that Android drops to second place in the U.S.
Still, the victory is important for Apple. Android appears on more smartphones than iOS but Apple was still able to beat Google's OS with the relatively few iPhone models it sells.
The iPhone 6, which launched in September, deserves most of the credit for Apple’s fourth-quarter success. It was the best-selling smartphone in the U.S. during the fourth quarter, which included the holiday shopping season, Kantar said.
Across the pond in Europe, Android's share took a hit by 3.8 percentage points year-on-year, falling to 66.1 percent while iOS saw a rise by 6.2 percentage points. Much of this driven by the UK market which saw iOS increase its share of sales by 13.1 percentage points compared to this time last year, while Samsung, LG and Sony all lost market share both year over year and over the previous quarter.
"Italy was the only European market where Android grew," said Dominic Sunnebo, strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech Europe. "Considering the strong pre-pay market and the wider direct channel it is not a surprise that Android products - with their value for money proposition - continue to appeal to Italian consumers."
The expanding Chinese markets also helped Apple.
"In Urban China, Apple iOS grew share year-on-year at the expense of Android," wrote Tamsin Timpson, strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech Asia. "While Xiaomi remained the bestselling brand in the latest period, Apple was able to close the gap slightly, growing its share to 21.5% from 19% last year."
Almost a quarter of Chinese consumers who bought an iPhone in the past three months were buying their first smartphone, compared to 16.5 percent for the same period in 2013.
What about Windows Phone? According to the Kantar report, Windows Phone had seen some success across Europe in 2013 but during this latest period recorded only minimal growth in France and Germany.
However, Apple’s market share edge was incredibly thin: 0.1 percent, according to data from research firm Kantar Worldpanel shows. Apple’s mobile OS made up 47.7 percent of U.S. smartphone sales during 2014’s fourth quarter, beating Android’s 47.6 percent market share. It’s the first time since 2012’s fourth quarter that Android drops to second place in the U.S.
Still, the victory is important for Apple. Android appears on more smartphones than iOS but Apple was still able to beat Google's OS with the relatively few iPhone models it sells.
The iPhone 6, which launched in September, deserves most of the credit for Apple’s fourth-quarter success. It was the best-selling smartphone in the U.S. during the fourth quarter, which included the holiday shopping season, Kantar said.
Across the pond in Europe, Android's share took a hit by 3.8 percentage points year-on-year, falling to 66.1 percent while iOS saw a rise by 6.2 percentage points. Much of this driven by the UK market which saw iOS increase its share of sales by 13.1 percentage points compared to this time last year, while Samsung, LG and Sony all lost market share both year over year and over the previous quarter.
"Italy was the only European market where Android grew," said Dominic Sunnebo, strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech Europe. "Considering the strong pre-pay market and the wider direct channel it is not a surprise that Android products - with their value for money proposition - continue to appeal to Italian consumers."
The expanding Chinese markets also helped Apple.
"In Urban China, Apple iOS grew share year-on-year at the expense of Android," wrote Tamsin Timpson, strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech Asia. "While Xiaomi remained the bestselling brand in the latest period, Apple was able to close the gap slightly, growing its share to 21.5% from 19% last year."
Almost a quarter of Chinese consumers who bought an iPhone in the past three months were buying their first smartphone, compared to 16.5 percent for the same period in 2013.
What about Windows Phone? According to the Kantar report, Windows Phone had seen some success across Europe in 2013 but during this latest period recorded only minimal growth in France and Germany.