Android is making its move to reclaim market share lost over the holidays as it jumps to 61% of U.S. smartphone sales, a big jump over the 49% recorded in the fourth quarter of 2011. iOS dropped down to 29%, down from close to 41% it held during the last quarter of 2011. Apple’s typical holiday surges are a result of heavy demand for the iPhone 4S as customers rush to grab Apple’s newest smartphone during the holiday season.
As it stands now, Apple and Android now hold 90% of total smartphone market sales in the U.S. However, smartphones themselves failed to grab any further traction as a percentage of total mobile phone sales grabbing just 66% of all handset sales in the last quarter of 2011.
If we take a look at the total smartphone market, Android continues to dominate in the U.S. with 48% total market share against Apple’s 32%.
As for the U.K., data released by analyst Kantar Worldpanel has highlighted the continuous growth of Android, giving Android a full 50% of the smartphone market in the U.K. over the previous 12 weeks ending April 18, up from the 42% Android held during the same period a year earlier. Apple follows with 29%, but continues to make strong gains, having increased its share by 9.5% over the past year.
Samsung alone has 28% of the U.K.’s smartphone market so is very nearly beating the mighty Apple all by itself, a position it may increase even more with the upcoming release of its highly anticipated Galaxy S III, at least until the iPhone 5 comes out later this year.