iOS closes on Android as UK’s leading smartphone OS

Google OS decline of 6.7 per cent in the UK is the largest out of nine major markets measured as strong sales of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus help iOS gain ground

Apple iOS is closing the gap on Android as the UK’s leading smartphone operating system after the latter suffered a 6.7 per cent decline in share from a year ago.

This is according to sales share figures from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech for the three months ending November 30, which shows Android’s share also fell 2.6 per cent from the previous three month measurement to stand at 49.7 per cent.

It meant that the UK had seen the biggest decline year-on-year of the nine major markets measured by Kanatar, with the other eight being Germany, France, Italy, Spain, USA, China, Australia and Japan.

Although it remains the leading OS in the UK, the share of iOS has continued to rise off the back of continued strong sales of iPhone 6 (pictured left) and iPhone 6 Plus (pictured right).

It now holds 42.5 per cent of the market, up 12.2 per cent from the same period a year ago and three per cent from the three month measurement to the end of October.

Kantar strategic insight director Dominic Sunnebo added:“Great Britain saw the strongest share decline for Android at 6.7 percentage points.

“The longer the new iPhone models are on the market the more their appeal will extend beyond Apple’s loyal customers. For now customer switching from Android to iOS remains stable at 18 per cent.”

Kantar chief of research Carolina Milanesi added: “A decline in Android market share does not necessarily translate into bad news for all the ecosystem’s players. The choice of brands and devices within the ecosystem empowers consumers to drive different fortunes for the players in it.

Elsewhere in the UK, Windows saw its share slip further, now at seven per cent, having fallen 3.6 per cent from a year ago and 0.7 per cent from the last measurement.

original article Mobile News Online

http://ift.tt/1Ipf2CE