Counterpoint Research measures iPhone US market share by counting all active smartphone users, or the “active installed base.”
FT reports on this milestone.
Apple now accounts for more than half of US cellphones, giving it an edge in finance and healthcare.
According to Counterpoint Research, the iPhone’s greatest share since its 2007 launch was 50% in the June quarter. Samsung and Lenovo led the way with 150 Android devices.
The FT adds that while new phone shipments might fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter, the active installed base is a better gauge of popularity.
The active installed base includes used phone buyers and individuals who bought iPhones years ago.
Apple “quietly captures market share every year,” says CSS Insight analyst Ben Woods. He believes Apple’s installed base, which it has traditionally called its “engine,” is becoming more significant as it increases income from existing iPhone owners.
Anyone who buys a used iPhone will likely spend money on applications, iCloud, Apple Music, and Apple Pay. No one has been able to recreate that model.” Services deliver income and enormous profits. Apple’s overall profit is 37-38%, but Services margins reach 70%.
Apple sold 74.5 million iPhones in Q4 mainly to iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus sales in major regions, as forecasted by Kantar in December.
“This quarter’s result shows that Apple has its best portfolio ever, thanks to the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. With a variety of contract and pre-pay handsets, Apple was able to take advantage of Android’s inferior premium offering “Milanesi:
iOS outperformed Android in Australia and Japan, but lagged in Europe and China.
Android smartphone share in Europe (Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain) fell 3.8% year-over-year to 66.1%, while iOS rose 6.2%.
Great Britain’s iOS devices grew by 13.1% compared to the same period previous year, outpacing Samsung, LG, and Sony.
Kantar Worldpanel’s Dominic Sunebo ComTech Europe: “Android rose only in Italy. Android goods, with their value for money, continue to appeal to Italian customers, given the strong pre-pay market and bigger direct channel.” Last year, Kantar’s statistics revealed Android surpassed Apple’s iPhone in the U.S., Europe, and China.
Kantar research says Apple’s iOS grew in China “at Android’s expense.” Despite Apple’s surge in smartphone market share, Xiaomi was the best-selling brand, says Tamsin Timpson of Kantar Worldpanel ComTech Asia. “While Xiaomi remained the bestselling brand in the latest time, Apple was able to close the gap,” Timpson says.
Kantar claimed Windows Phone underperformed in the last quarter and only grew in France and Germany.
In another report released for the most gifted device in 2014 holiday quarter in the US, iPhone was the most gifted smartphone while iPad was the favourite in tablets. Samsung Galaxy S5 was second. iPhones were 57% of all smartphones given as presents, while iPads were 33.7%. iPhone 6 was the most popular smartphone gift, while iPad Air was the most popular tablet.
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