Apple's U.S. smartphone sales has surpassed 50 percent for the first time in its history predominately thanks to the iPhone 5.
According to data stemming from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, iOS remains the top selling smartphone platform within America via a 53.3 percent share of the market for the 12 week period ending November 25, 2012. It represents the first time the platform has surpassed 50 percent of the U.S. smartphone market based on sales.
Android sales, meanwhile, decreased by 10.9 percent to 41.9 percent during the same period. Windows followed in a distant third place with a 2.7 percent share of smartphones sold.
Meanwhile, during the 12 weeks ending on October 28, Apple's iOS accounted for a 48.1 percent share of the smartphone market within the United States.
AT&T saw the iPhone 5 contributing towards its top selling smartphone carrier title with 35.4 percent of smartphones sold within the 12 week period. Verizon follows with 31.9 percent of smartphones sold, while Sprint settled for third place with 14.5 percent of sales.
"The iPhone 5 has been successful this period however we also see that Apple’s older models – the iPhone 4S and 4 have also contributed to the growing share of iOS," said Kantar Worldpanel ComTech analyst Mary-Ann Parlato. "This is particularly the case for first-time smartphone iPhone buyers where we see the older models still selling well amongst this group."
Out of the consumers who purchased an iPhone in November, 27 percent upgraded from another smartphone platform. 34 percent upgraded from a previous iPhone, while 40 percent upgraded to their first smartphone.
