Apple smartphone share rises, Android falls

Written by

A new report released on Monday by Strategy Analytics shows that Apple’s U.S. smartphone market share is on the rise, while Android declined in the second quarter of 2012.

Apple’s market share rose significantly, rising 10 percentage points from 23 percent to 33 percent, when compared to the second quarter of 2011. Android’s share fell 4 points to 56 percent. Of course, it’s important to note that hundreds of devices use Android, while Apple only has a couple of iPhone devices on the market.

BlackBerry fell 4 points, coming in with 7 percent of the market, the lowest in recent years for the company.

Overall smartphone shipments fell 5 percent, which Strategy Analytics blamed on a “volatile economy, maturing penetration of smartphones among contract mobile subscribers, and major operators tightening their upgrade policies to enhance profits were among the main causes of the slowdown.”

Update: Changed Apple’s 10 percent rise to 10 percentage point rise.



  • Jlmoran

    Might want to re-word the first sentence of the second paragraph to something like “…rising 10 percentage points from 23 percent to 33 percent.”

    The way it currently reads, it sounds like its share rose 10% of 23%, which would only mean an increase to 25%.

    • Daniel French

      It’s also worth noting that Samsung smartphones outsold the iPhone more than two to one last quarter (54 m to 24 m), with most of those devices priced comparably.

  • TheBOFH

    Meanwhile, here in Europe the iPhone market share is falling quickly. Carrier subsidies (and monthly fees for mobile service) are lower that in the USA, so that the iPhone is significantly more expensive than the plethora of medium-low range Android phones. And that does not help with the struggling economy we are suffering.

    • http://twitter.com/sammyjayuk Sam Jacobs

      But how many of those people who buy lower cost Android phones ultimately end up being satisfied with them? Not many, even in my limited experience.

      I’ve known people moan for the entire length of their contract then get an iPhone, or give up part way through and get an iPhone, or even (especially among pay as you go users, because £400+ is an awful lot of money to pay for a phone upfront—in fact, I suspect that much of Android’s gains are coming from low cost PAYG handsets) go back to a dumbphone!

      As for subsidies, because our variable subsidy model is so different from the North American fixed subsidy model it’s very difficult to make any meaningful overall statement. Having said that, on a ~£35 a month 600 minute tariff—including, I might add, data—you’re looking at around £100 upfront for a 16 GB 4S which is quite a bit lower than $200—even before you add sales tax to the US price or remove VAT (which is still 20% here…) from the UK one.

      But, as I said, you can’t make any sort of general statement because that same model can be had for as little as £0 upfront or over £300 depending on which tariff you choose and the length of the contract.

      What I can say is that, in general, we’re not used paying anything upfront when we’re getting a phone on contract. I have a 32 GB 4S, and if I tell someone I pay £42 a month and still had to pay £99 for the phone then more often than not I’ll get a pitying look, as if they’re lamenting my obvious lack of sanity! Inexplicably, it doesn’t help when I point out that in the US I’d probably be paying twice as much…

      So I think the differences here are twofold: firstly, the prevalence of PAYG (which is either waxing or waning, depending on who you ask) where even the 8 GB 3GS is over £300, and secondly the fact that many Android handsets are “free” on contract, even on some lower tariffs.

      I don’t see how this could change, in the near term at least; or even if it needs to.

      Sam

    • Daniel French

      It’s also worth noting that Samsung smartphones outsold the iPhone more than two to one last quarter (54 m to 24 m), with most of those devices priced comparably.