Its a fickle old world, the technology industry. One day, you re on top, (Apple), the next you’re over ran by a (once) seemingly harmless competitor (Windows)That’s exactly what happened in Italy where Windows Phone has knocked out Apple iOS, nabbing almost 14% of the market, V’s iOs 10%.
The latest smartphone data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, for July- September 2013, shows MS Windows Phone is making rapid gains all over Europe, driven by huge demand for Nokia Lumia phones.
Windows Phone makes up 10% of smartphone sales in Australia (doubling its share in a year), UK, Germany, France, and has overtaken iOS in Italy.
In Australia, Android is still dominant running 55% of all smartphones, while Apple increased its share to 33% and BlackBerry on just 1.3%.
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However, former leader Apple could bounce back in Australia, US and UK in Q4, with the release of iPhone 5s and 5c,
says Dominic Sunnebo, analyst, Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.“August is traditionally a quiet month for Apple as consumers wait for the release of new models and strong sales of the iPhone 5S and 5C at the end of September did not manage to make up for the lull.
“The full impact of the new iPhones will be seen at Christmas when iOS is expected to bounce back strongly in Britain, the US and Australia.”
Android remains the dominant OS in Europe with 72%, while in China, Google’s OS is eating up mobiles there, accounting for 81% of all smartphones.
Local Chinese manufacturers made up almost half of smartphones, includuing Huawei, Xiaomi, Lenovo and Coolpad.
Chinese consumers spend up to 70% of their monthly salary on a new mobile, notes Sunnebo.
Windows Phone has also shown signs of growth in emerging markets like Latin America, where Nokia dominated for many years, due to popularity of its features phones.
“With the smartphone market in developed countries so congested, it is emerging economies that now present manufacturers with the best opportunity for growth”, says Sunnebo.
“The majority of consumers in Latin America still own a Nokia featurephone and upgrading to an entry level Lumia is a logical next step. Price is the main barrier in developing markets and the budget Lumia 520 opens the door to smartphone ownership for many.”
