Mobile’s golden child suffers, as Apple rebounds.Smartphone OS leader Google Android’s market share has slumped over 4% in Australia so far this year, a slump that has been repeated on global markets, including Europe.
That’s according to smartphone sales data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech for the first three months of 2014, which shows demand for Apple’s iPhone has bounced back in Europe, Japan and Australia.
In Australia, Android’s share of the mobile pie fell to 57%, while Apple shares rose 2% to 33%. The slump in demand for Androids which includes the Samsung Galaxy range could be attributed to consumers holding out for the new Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8, released this month.
iPhones are still far more popular in Australia than Europe, where Apple hold under 20% market share.
Microsoft Windows is also a rising star here, powering 7% of smartphones – a jump of 3%.
Dominic Sunnebo, ComTech analyst attributes Apple’s success to a strong demand of the iPhone 5S.
“Apple regained ground in the first quarter of 2014, primarily due to the strong performance of the iPhone 5S, growing its sales share in Europe, Japan and Australia.
“By contrast, Windows had a tough start to the year as a result of its entry-level Nokia models facing fierce competition from low-end Motorola, LG and Samsung Android smartphones.”
Japan’s love affair with Apple shows no sign of fading, although in China phablets are in huge demand – good news for Samsung and Co. Devices with a screen larger than 5″ made up 40% of smartphone sales in March.
However, with the release of two new Android hero devices – HTC One M8 and Samsung Galaxy S5 last month could see Android OS rebound.
