iPhones Outpaced Android Smartphones in Q4 2011
After the earnings call from Apple yesterday, it became apparent that Apple's iPhone 4S was the driving force behind the most successful quarter for any technology company in history. Although the iPhone 4S was initially labelled a 'disappointment' among consumers, they still came in droves to grab the smartphone anyway. How did that fair against the legions of Android devices over the same period in Q4 2011?
In new data research conducted and compiled by Kantar Worldpanel Comtech, the Apple iPhone outpaced all Android devices combined from October 1st - December 31st 2011. Apple had moved to a U.S. market share of 44.9%, while Android smartphones combined for 44.8%, which was down from 50% in Q3 2011. These numbers from Kantar, it should be mentioned, are from nine major countries, but certainly do not cover the entire globe.
These findings are contradictory to what Nielsen had found in their report on smartphone marketshare from Q4 2011, which stated that Android had the most at 51.7% of recent acquirers, while Apple iOS had 37% , from a current user base of 30% Apple iOS compared to 46.3% all Android smartphones. The same report did show however that Android had fallen in during the same quarter, while Apple gained.
All of these reports considered, it does more or less show that Apple had a very successful Q4 in 2011, one that probably made Android shake a little from the thunder of iPhone 4S sales, regardless if the lineups are outdoors. It will be very interesting to see how 2012 plays out with iOS and Android devices, which may end up being like watching a Tennis match.
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