Something Has Clearly Gone Wrong

Strategy Analytics report on U.S. phone market share:

According to our Wireless Device Strategies (WDS) service, mobile phone shipments grew 4 percent annually to reach 52 million units in the United States during the fourth quarter of 2012. Apple became the number one mobile phone vendor for the first time ever, capturing a record 34 percent market share.

That’s not number one “smartphone” vendor. That’s number one phone vendor, period. According to NPD, one of three phones shipped in the U.S. last quarter was an iPhone. NPD puts Apple at number one in the U.S. in “smartphone” sales, although Samsung has tightened that race. But keep in mind that Samsung’s line of “smartphone” includes a lot of low-end junk, not just high-end Galaxy and Note units.

In terms of usage, Net Marketshare still has iOS with a massive mobile web browser share lead over Android. None of these numbers square with the “something has clearly gone wrong at Apple” belief.

★ Tuesday, 5 February 2013