Apple has taken the lead in US smartphone market with the iPhone 5 sales helping the firm take the top spot ahead of Google’s Android operating system, according to latest smartphone sales data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.
According to the research firm, Apple now has a 48.1% share of US smartphone sales compared with Android which has 46.7%.
Kantar Worldpanel ComTech global consumer insight director Dominic Sunnebo said: "The last time we saw iOS overtake Android in the US was when the iPhone 4S was released and Apple managed to retain its lead for three consecutive periods."
"This time we predict that Apple will beat its previous high of 49.3% and achieve its highest ever share of the US smartphone market within the next two periods," Sunnebo said.
The report says that Apple’s rise in the US has not been replicated in quite the same way across Europe where Android still takes the lead, accounting for 73.9% of sales in Germany and 81.7% in Spain.
The iPhone maker’s share gained in four out of the five major European countries and its market share in the UK is 32.7%.
"Germany remains a tough market for Apple with its share falling by 5.1 percentage points over the past year," said Sunnebo.
"The Samsung Galaxy S3 has taken almost a quarter of the country’s smartphone sales over the past 12 weeks to boost Android yet further."
"In Italy, strong sales of the Nokia Lumia 610, the fourth best selling handset over the past 12 weeks, and the Nokia Lumia 800, the seventh best selling, have helped drive Windows’ share up to 11.7% – the highest across Europe."
The report found that 62% of all iPhone 5 sales in the US came from existing Apple owners upgrading, with 13% coming from Android switchers, 6% from BlackBerry devices, and a small number of first time smarphone owners.
