iOS Vs Android: Apple's Market Share Gains Worldwide, Except In UK

iOS gained year-on-year market share this summer in multiple countries -- except among consumers in Great Britain who opted for Android devices instead, according to smartphone operating system data from Kantar Worldpanel released on Friday.

Kantar data from June-August 2017 shows iOS’ market share increased this year in the U.S. by 3.7 percent. In China, iOS market share grew by 4.3, percent, in Spain, 4.4. Percent, Germany, 2.3 percent, France, 1.7 percent, Australia, 0.9 percent, Italy, 0.4 percent and in the five biggest markets in the European Union by 1.2 percent.

However, iOS didn’t do so well in the U.K., where it saw its market share decrease by two percent. Instead, Android gained in the U.K. with the release of the Galaxy S8 and with its 2016 model J3. Kantar data shows Samsung is at a three-year high in Great Britain, propelling Android use up by 6.4 percent, the highest growth among all operating systems in all countries analyzed.

Kantar said Apple flagship devices lost momentum in the U.K. before the announcement of the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, as well as by strong sales of the iPhone SE.

“Samsung took full advantage of the weeks just before the iPhone 8 and iPhone X were released in Great Britain, with significant promotional activity that helped drive its overall share to a three-year high of 38.4% for the three months ending August 2017,” Dominic Sunnebo, Global Business Unit Director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, said in a statement. “More than one in four Galaxy S8 buyers cited a specific promotion as a key purchase influencer, and almost half said that a good deal on the price of the phone was key to their purchase. Both of these metrics experienced a large increase over the last two months of the period.”

Meanwhile in the U.S., Samsung and Apple sales shares for the summer were both at 35 percent, although Samsung slightly beat Apple by 0.2 percentage points.

“Apple maintained strong momentum in the US one month before the release of iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, and grew its sales share by 3.7 percentage points year-on-year, compared to Samsung’s growth of 0.8 percentage points,” Sunnebo said. “Weaker sales through Verizon hurt Samsung as Apple approached a 50% share within the largest US carrier – an even higher proportion than at AT&T, a traditional iPhone stronghold.”

When it comes to China, Kantar said Apple continued its growth, increasing its share from 13.4 percent last year to 17.7 percent this year. The iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus were the two top-selling smartphones in urban China during the summer.

Last December, Kantar said iOS achieved its strongest rate of growth in two years between August-October 2016, which could have been attributed to Samsung’s Note 7 recall.

This year, Apple released the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus in September, while the iPhone X is set to launch on November.