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Android Tops Smartphone Market in Europe, US, and Australia

Kantar Worldpanel ComTech’s latest analysis of annual smartphone sales figures shows that the Android dominates the smartphone markets in the US, Europe, and Australia.  Android-powered smartphones accounted for over 50% of smartphone sales in these three continents that are also major markets for the devices.  The study showed a general increase in the sales of handsets running on Google’s OS compared to the last study period and a decline in the units powered by other OS.  Android’s market share ranged from 49.6% in Italy to an overwhelming 84.1% in Spain.

The US market is the only blot in an otherwise sunny report for Google.  Android sales in the US dipped 6.8%, from 57% to the current 50.2%.  Android’s loss was Apple’s gain when it sold 8.7% more iPhone units than in the previous period, pulling up its share to 37.4% and closing in on Android’s dominance. The iPhone 4S release and Sprint’s addition of the iPhone 4 and 4S to its product lineup contributed to Apple’s strong sales in the US.  Research in Motion’s Blackberry has a measly 3% share.

Kantar Worldpanel ComTech’s study of the UK smartphone market shows that smartphone sales in Britain are distributed among Android with a 57.2% share followed by iOS at 25.6%, and Windows Phone 7 at 3.7%.  All three handsets posted increases in sales compared to the July 2011 study, with Android sales growing by 8.5%, iOS increasing by 5.4% and Windows Phone 7 a 2% growth.  Blackberry sales continue to suffer in the UK, recording its biggest fall from 19.3% in 2011 to 10.6% currently.  The popularity and sales of mobile operating systems in such as Symbian and Vanilla Windows Mobile in the UK have become insignificant.

The Android commands a bigger market share in Continental Europe, reaching a whooping 84.1% in Spain where Apple manages to grab only a 3.2% share.  Android sales in Italy accounted for 49.6%.

Apple’s weakness in the Australian market shows in iOS sales dropping to 30.5% from last year’s 36.9%.  Android however is strong in Australia, posting a double-digit growth from 36.4% in the same period in 2011 to 56.9% this year.  Another strong brand is the Windows Phone 7, recording a 2.7% increase from 2.1% to 4.8%.

Analysts attribute the Android’s success to its affordability and multimedia features that enables many consumers to upgrade to a smartphone.

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Posted in Android, Smartphones

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