Apple appears to be closing the gap on Android after figures from Kantar WorldPanel Comtech revealed iOS market share is only 20 per cent less than its Google-owned rival, compared with a 31 per cent difference a year ago. Apple’s gains were the strongest in the UK of the five European markets, adding 5.5 percent points year-on-year to reach 34.1 percent of smartphone sales. On the other hand, it lost some points in France, where it dropped 1.9 points to 8.7 percent, and in Spain, down 4.5 points to 3.0 percent.
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Why would iPhone sales rise across Europe but fall in the United States?
Apple’s iOS is exclusive to its iPhone, which has led to increase in its popularity whereas Android-running smartphones are moving towards a standstill where every manufacturer can provide the same high-end specs with pricing left as the only aspect of competition.
“Apple iOS returned to growth across all of Europe’s “big five” markets, as it recorded its first year-on-year gain in France since February 2015″, Carolina Milanesi, chief of research at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, said in a press release. However, this does show a drop compared with the first quarter, when iOS had 38.1 percent of the market. “In the U.S., as we forecasted last month, Android’s growth continued in the quarter ending June 30, with both Samsung and LG increasing their share sequentially”.
They say Windows Phone failed to become a strong rival to Android and iOS, pointing to the 3 percent market share the platform now holds worldwide as living proof.
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Android buyers, in contrast, named price as one of the biggest factors in their purchase decision, 43% saying that “a good deal on the price of the phone” was the main reason for their choice of smartphone, reports Fortune.
