According to Kantar Worldpanel Comtech research the iPhone 5 has overtaken Android in US smartphone sales. Buoyed by existing iPhone owner upgrades, which account for 62 percent of iPhone 5 sales, as well as some Android switching Kantar says that the iPhone now holds a 48.1 percent to 46.7 percent lead over Android in the US.
Again, these numbers refer to recent sales and not to persistent, overall device market share (Android still leads). Kantar says the share surge is based on “strong uptake of the iPhone 5 over the past 12 weeks.”
In Europe Android holds a considerable lead over iOS, in part because of Samsung’s immense popularity and enormous marketing spending. In the EU5 Android’s lead remains significant: 64 percent vs. the iPhone’s 21 percent.
According to the Kantar report the iPhone has, however, made some share inroads in some of the EU5, in particular in the UK, where it now holds a 33 percent share to Android’s 54 percent share.
It’s also interesting to look at the data regarding Windows Phones. The Microsoft operating system continues to lose share in the US but has gained in Europe, where Nokia’s brand continues to have strength. Overall in the five leading EU countries Windows Phones gained 1.7 percentage points over last year.
In markets such as Italy, Spain and the UK Windows has done better than the overall EU5. In Italy Windows Phones gained almost 8 points and now stand at an 11.7 percent share according to Kantar. Again, this is likely on the strength of the Nokia brand in Europe.
For its part RIM has continued to lose share across almost all markets. In the absence of a breakthrough with BlackBerry 10 RIM is not long for this world.
We’ll have to see whether comScore and Nielsen confirm Kantar’s US numbers for November when those data are published next month.
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