It wasn’t long ago that Android overtook iOS as the most popular mobile platform in the United States, but as the release of Apple’s first large screen phone approaches, Android’s lead is beginning to look insurmountable. According to the latest data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, Android now holds 61.9% of the U.S. market share to Apple’s 32.5%, the lowest percentage iOS has captured since the iPhone 4s launched in 2011.
Internationally, Android is even more ubiquitous, with 82.7% market share in China and 73.3% across Europe in countries including the UK, France, Germany Spain and Italy. That’s not to say Apple isn’t showing signs of life — ComTech also notes that the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c were still the top selling phones in Britain during the month of May, even following a hugely successful launch for the Galaxy S5. On the other hand, 17% of customers who purchased a Galaxy S5 were switching from iOS to Android.
“In the USA the Samsung Galaxy S5 was the second highest selling smartphone in May just behind the iPhone 5S,” said ComTech strategic insight director Dominic Sunnebo. “However, at a total brand level Samsung claimed the top spot with 36.8% of sales versus 32.5% for Apple over the past three months. Apple loyalty is high in the US, with former iPhone owners making up just 8% of Galaxy S5 sales. The majority of those switching to Samsung were LG and HTC users.”
Sunnebo believes that many consumers have adopted the mentality that bigger is better, which is why Android has continued to flourish while Apple has struggled to retain its market share. If the rumors are to be believed, the iPhone 6 could be Apple’s answer to the increasing screen size of mobile devices.
