Kantar WorldPanel Comtech report shows that Android and iOS are still the top two OSes. Windows Phone is making gains by getting feature phone users to upgrade, rather than getting Android or iOS users to switch. BlackBerry registers bleak numbers.
Another report, another set of numbers to put the global smartphone OS market scenario in perspective. Kantar WorldPanel Comtech has released the latest report, for nine smartphone markets around the world. The countries are – UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, USA, Australia, China and Mexico. The sales data was compiled for a period of three months, ending in July 2013.
According to the numbers released, Android has 65% marketshare in these countries, with iOS showing rather inconsistent performance globally. Android is registering better numbers across the major European markets as well as in China, where it accounted for around 70% of smartphone sales during the past quarter. The iPhone may have have fallen behind Android, continues to sell very well in the USA, where it has grown its share to 43.4% of the total smartphone sales, compared to 35.6% last year. It is also registering year on year growth in Britain, France, Spain and Mexico, but has fallen behind in China.
Windows Phone has slotted comfortably into third place, ahead of the struggling BlackBerry platform. WP devices now claim around 10% marketshare in Britain, France, Germany and Mexico, and claims second place in the central American country behind Android and ahead of iOS and BlackBerry.
Dominic Sunnebo, strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech clarifies that Windows Phone hasn’t grown by eating into Android or iOS marketshare, but by getting feature phone users to upgrade. “Windows Phone’s success has been in convincing first time smartphone buyers to choose one of its devices with 42% of sales over the past year coming from existing feature-phone owners.”, he says. Sunnebo even specified a particular smartphone for this jump, “The Lumia 520 is hitting a sweet spot, offering the price and quality that new smartphone buyers are looking for.”
The report says that Windows Phone’s growth isn’t coming from stealing Apple or Android consumers. Only 27% of Apple and Android users change their OS when they replace their handset, and those that do switch tend to move between the two big operating systems.
BlackBerry has registered rather disappointing numbers, considering this was the time when the newer smartphones on the BB10 platform, the Z10 and the Q10 were being rolled out in markets globally. The company sees the best numbers in Mexico, with 10% share, just ahead of iOS which clocked 9.2%. Incidentally, Mexico has given us some rather interesting numbers this time around!
