Listen carefully and you’re bound to hear a resounding “thud.”
That’s the sound made by Android falling into second place by Apple’s iOS in the U.S. right now. Thanks to stronger than expected iPhone 5 sales, the latest data from Kantar Worldpanel confirms that Apple has secured a 48.1 percent market share of smartphone sales in the United States.
If you’re keeping score at home, that tops the 46.7 percent market share retained by Android sales during the last twelve weeks.
“The last time we saw iOS overtake Android in the US was when the iPhone 4S was released and Apple managed to retain its lead for three consecutive periods,” says Dominic Sunnebo of Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. “This time we predict that Apple will beat its previous high of 49.3 percent and achieve its highest ever share of the US smartphone market within the next two periods.”
But for now at least, Android still has a commanding lead over iOS in Europe.
“Germany remains a tough market for Apple with its share falling by 5.1 percentage points over the past year,” Sunnebo adds. “The Samsung Galaxy S3 has taken almost a quarter of the country’s smartphone sales over the past 12 weeks to boost Android yet further. In Italy, strong sales of the Nokia Lumia 610, the fourth best selling handset over the past 12 weeks, and the Nokia Lumia 800, the seventh best selling, have helped drive Windows’ share up to 11.7% – the highest across Europe.”