Strategy Analytics is out with a new survey this morning suggesting that device unit sales and market share for Google’s Android platform in the United States has declined during the second quarter of this year as devices powered by Apple’s iOS software continue to gain ground…
Specifically, Android’s share fell from 61 percent in Q2 2011 to 56 percent of the U.S. market in the June quarter of this year as shipments fell from 15.3 million units to 13.4 million units.
During the same period, iPhone shipments in the U.S. increased from 5.9 million to 7.9 million units, enough to grow Apple’s smartphone share from 23 percent in Q2 2011 to 33 percent in Q2 2012.
Here’s from Strategy Analytics executive director Neil Mawston:
Android remains the number one platform by volume in the United States, but its market share is approaching a peak and Apple iOS has been gaining ground.
Apple is rumored to be launching a new iPhone in the coming weeks, and that event, if it takes place, is going to heap even more pressure on Android in its home market.
The strained economy is to be blamed for a decline in total U.S. smartphone shipments which fell five percent in the second quarter to under 24 million units. Strategy Analytics also says that high smartphone penetration rate, which recently passed 50 percent in the U.S., coupled with carriers tightening their upgrade policies also contributed to the slow down.
The BlackBerry?
Continuing on a downward spiral, dropping to seven percent from eleven percent in just twelve months.
Strategy Analytics also recently reported that the iPad is widening its lead over Android tablets, rising from 62 percent in Q2 2011 to 68 percent global market share in Q2 2012. Strategy Analytics says it’s the highest level for the iPad for almost two years.
When it comes to iPad in enterprise, IDC found out that nearly half of polled developers think Apple’s tablet will win the battle for business customers.
Focusing only on handset sales, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster in his recent annual cell phone survey found out that nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of polled respondents would pick an iPhone as their next handset, meaning Android is effectively losing one-third of current users to the iPhone.
IDC reported that Apple’s worldwide smartphone share slid from 18.8 percent in the year-ago quarter to 16.9 percent in Q2 2012, despite iPhone’s 27.5 percent year-over-year growth. Samsung during the same period nearly doubled its global smartphone share from 17 percent in Q2 2011 to a whopping 32.6 percent in Q2 2012.
IDC attributed Apple’s drop to strong sales of Samsung’s Galaxy S III which cleverly exploited Apple’s annual refresh cycle and the iPhone’s sales lull ahead of the next model.
