Apple reverses resistible rise of Android
Regains ground from Google on home turf
Android's share of the smartphone market is waning, at least in the US.
Market watcher Strategy Analytics, which tracks phone shipments and such, today noted that Android's Stateside share had fallen from 60.6 per cent in Q2 2011 to 56.3 per cent in 2012's second quarter, on the back of a 12.4 per cent decline in unit shipments.
RIM's share dropped too, from 10.5 per cent to 6.5 per cent - "its lowest level in recent history", said SA analyst Scott Bicheno - as its unit shipments fell from 2.7m to 1.6m between the two quarters, a decline of 40.7 per cent.
The one company to gain from these platforms' misfortune? Not Microsoft, that's for darn sure as mustard, its share failing to lift it out of the anonymous 'Others' category.
No, it's Apple, of course, its market share rising ten percentage points to 33.2 per cent on the back of a 33.9 year-on-year increase in shipments into the States.
Not that the Cupertino company has excuse for cockiness - though it's never felt the need for one - as its smartphone share has, in the past, been rather more than a third of the market. Still, Apple knows it doesn't need to dominate the market to continue making a pretty penny. And it'll make a whole lot more if the iPhone 5 ships in a couple of months' time if, as it's expected to. ®
COMMENTS
"I prefer my phone, I don't get a "twat" label by being seen with it."
No, you can rightly say you earned your "twat" label all by yourself.
Then for goodness sake don't buy one. its a freaking phone, not the bloody borg.
Dweeb's random casual statistics of the day
I went to see "Batman" tonight - not a bad flick. Before I went to the flicks, I had dinner at a cafe. The cafe was full at 6:30 on a Monday evening with punters eating before going off to see Batman or whatever. It was a middle class but funky sort of place, popular with students and ordinary folks alike.
I live in Denmark, a country where the homeless & unemployed can comfortably afford an iPhone if they wish, and where we have recently been subjected to overwhelming Microsoft/Nokia Lumia marketing. Like everywhere else, except for the one carrier whore which took the MS dollars, the carriers in general have simply stopped stocking/selling Nokia phones. WP is a dud (even though I personally like it for trying to be original).
Here was what I saw.
A 3GS and 4S at my table. Two white 4's at the table next to us to match the two white girls. The table of rowdy Americans and a token Dane included 3x4s that I saw. I noticed 2 waiters had time to consult their iPhones at the collection station (could have been early Galaxy's, given their superficial resemblence, but I doubt it). The cafe was in fact packed with Apple kit, including the only tablet I saw.
I failed to see even one phone that was not an Apple.
I failed to see even one Samsung phone, Galaxy or otherwise.
I failed to see even one Nokia phone.
I haven't seen even one Nokia Lumia phone in the wild - ever.
I saw a couple of phones, the provenance of which I could not discern.
Whereas 18 months ago, Nokia had a clear presence - and I mean they were everywhere - with it's highly successful Symbian phones, it seems folks have abandoned Nokia lately. This is consistent with the carrier's abandonment of Nokia since Nokia's "deal with the devil".
While I was in France last week, it was pretty clear that Samsung is the product of choice for the carriers there. I don't think you can actually buy a Nokia in France, at least it looked that way based on what I saw in people's hands.
Anyway, let's face it, the iPhone is fabulously popular and people are willing to pay to own one. In countries where the ability to pay is a given (Scandinavia for example), the product is very popular. There is probably a measurable correlation between disposable income and phone choices.
All the nerd bullshit on El Reg is NEVER going to change any of this, nor is the vitriolic bile (anti-Apple, anti-Android or whatever) that is spewed here constantly.
Bootnote: Go see Batman and chomp through an extra large bucket of popcorn :)
I would post a Beer icon, but ...
Dweeb
