Apple held on to its lead in the U.S. smartphone market, as iOS was the top selling smartphone platform during the 3 month period ending December 23rd. It grabbed 51.2% of sales, while Google’s Android OS captured 44.2%. Sales of iPhones to Android users apparently grew 10% compared to the same period in 2011.
Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, via 9to5Mac:
“In particular, 36% of iOS sales were derived from other smartphone users over the last year. While this figure remains stable over time, the proportion of Android users moving towards the Apple brand increases. 19% of iOS sales over the last year were derived from Android users, compared to 9% in 2011.”
Of those who did switch, the lion’s share came from Verizon, with 49% of new iPhone users coming from the ranks of other smartphone platforms, 30% of which were Android users. AT&T only had a 6% changeover rate from Android, and their majority of iPhone sales were from iPhone upgraders.
Carrier ranking remained consistent in the period, with AT&T maintaining its lead among the big three, with 33.3% of all smartphones sold in the quarter. AT&T’s lead declined slightly, allowing Verizon to narrow the gap with its count of 32% of smartphones sold. Sprint’s brand continues to suffer, as it snagged only 14.8% of the smartphone market.
The data in the survey is collected by Kantar Worldpanel ComTech USA’s consumer panel, which is the largest continuous consumer research mobile phone panel of its kind in the world, conducting more than 250,000 interviews per year in the U.S. alone. This data is exclusively focused on the sales within this 12 week period rather than market share figures.
