Apple Overtakes Android In U.S. Market Share, By A Hair

News
By Michael Justin Allen Sexton, Seth Colaner
published

Apple has overtaken Android in smartphone market share in the U.S. for the first time since 2012.

According to WPP's market and research division, Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, successful sales of the iPhone 6 largely gave Apple the edge.

It should be noted, though, that it's possible these numbers aren't quite accurate. The total sales for iOS totaled 47.7 percent, while Android was at 47.6 percent. There is always a margin of error; in this case, 0.1 percent would be inside of this margin, and thus it is difficult to say if iOS really overtook Android or not.

Still, the effects of the sales of the iPhone 6 are easily seen inside of the U.S. market, as well as the global market as a whole. Android's decline of 3.8 percent market share and iOS' gain of 3.8 percent is a clear sign that the iPhone 6 was an overwhelming success. In fact, in Germany, Great Britain, China, France, Australia, Italy and Spain, the market share of iOS showed significant growth. In all of these nations except Italy, the Android market share showed significant decline.

Japan is the most unique of the data points for which Kantar Worldpanel ComTech had information. Japan, being the only nation with an iOS-dominated market in 2013, surprisingly showed an 8.5 percent decrease in the market share of iOS, while Android gained an additional 7.8 percent of the Japanese market.

As a result of the iPhone 6 end of year sales, iOS now holds dominate market control in Australia, Japan and the United States; all other nations are showing iOS market share growth.

It is difficult to say what the long-term effect of these latest sales will be. On the one hand, it's possible that this could signal a re-emergence of Apple's iOS, but it could also show normal variation in the market over time, as market share shifts between major competing platforms. For example, looking back over the data from 2012, the opposite can be seen, with iOS losing ground on a global scale to Android. Given the fluctuation of the market from 2012 until 2014, it is entirely too soon to say if iOS will take firm hold of the leadership in the mobile market.

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Michael Justin Allen Sexton
Michael Justin Allen Sexton is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He covers hardware component news, specializing in CPUs and motherboards.
27 Comments Comment from the forums
  • thundervore
    Yes, Apple must thank all those out there that have a iPhone 5s that just switched to a iPhone 6. Then 18 months later when the iPhone 6s releases Apple can thank them again.

    Apples slogan:
    Welcome to yesterday!!
    Reply
  • DarkSable
    Welp, time to move now.
    Reply
  • XaveT
    I'm just wondering how these numbers were come by. Are they the original cost of the phone? The plan with a carrier? The discounted cost of a phone at a carrier? Since we in the US rarely buy a phone outright (this is changing slowly) I have to wonder about the numbers here. What are we really looking at? Also, since sales don't equate to market share (due to cannibalization) how do we arrive at the concept that sales are indicative of market share?
    Reply
  • gggplaya
    This has to be by dollar sales. Androids are getting better and now even the lower tier (cheaper) phones are adequate for most people. They're responsive, take decent pictures, and function just fine. There's less of an incentive to buy a top tier phone. So this news is not a surprise to me unless we're talking phone sales by unit volume.
    Reply
  • knowom
    Based on a poll where they don't tell you the details of how it was determined brought to you by Apple how convincing? Wow I think I'll go by a iPhone now...haha yeah right! ;)
    Reply
  • Math Geek
    i am not so much concerned with apples numbers as they have always released them each quarter but how they determined the android numbers since they are not published and only guessed at. normally android numbers include all kinds of junk products that don't actually belong in a comparison with the iphone.

    for instance think of all the $20 android tablet type devices you can find on ebay and from overseas that run an old android version and have no supporting app store. they are pretty much useless but get lumped in with new high quality tablets by known brands when estimating sales numbers.

    i know folks love to hate on apple but the reality is that they have never been shy about their sales numbers but you can't say that for ANY android manufacturer. most of the numbers we have are taken from the wireless carries when/if they report their android sales numbers and the rest is guessed from there. no one knows how many are sold off contract and the used on a carrier as these numbers aren't given out. expanding wireless numbers to guess total sales is at best a bad number and at worst, well........ suspect to be nice.
    Reply
  • zzz_b
    I like the part that says" it is difficult to say if iOS really overtook Android or not"
    So the whole article is BS
    Reply
  • zzz_b
    I like the part that says" it is difficult to say if iOS really overtook Android or not"
    So the whole article is BS
    Reply
  • Math Geek
    think of it this way for a different perspective. apple makes the iphone and no one else. how many people make android devices? so even if you can't say for sure who sells more it is rather impressive from a pure sales slant that there is even a conversation saying they are outselling ALL android phone makers COMBINED.

    that would be like saying that ford outsells every car maker in the world combined. even if it was "they almost sell as much as all other combined" it is still a very impressive stat to have on your resume :) all makes/models/versions etc of every maker in the world combined is close to what apple is selling on its own. if that is not wow worthy i don't know what is. does not mean you have to run out and get one or that they are the greatest ever or whatever. but it does mean they make something people want and that is pretty much the point of business if i recall my macroeconomics course right.

    i am not saying anything about value or worth or whatever just saying from a sales perspective, this is a very impressive thing to be able to say. again if the android brands want to shut up the talk, they only have to release their sales numbers, i am pretty sure there is a reason they do not...........
    Reply
  • claec
    "Apple Overtakes Android In U.S. Market Share"
    "The total sales for iOS totaled 47.7 percent, while Android was at 47.6 percent"

    So wait... they overtook it in SALES or SHARE? Kinda a big difference...

    If it's just sales, then I'm not sure what the fuss is over. If a company releases not one but TWO flagship devices that are the first big product updates in their line in about 2 - 3 years in a financial quarter in which NONE of their chief rivals (Samsung, LG, HTC) releases a flagship device then I would hope that they are number one in sales! Honestly, I'm a little surprised that it's only .1% ahead!

    Reply