We hope you’re a fan of either Apple’s iOS platform or Google’s Android, because it seems like those ecosystems are increasingly the only options you’ll have.
According to recent data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, Android and iOS together accounted for more than 98 percent of smartphone sales in the United States in the three months ending January 2017. During that period, Android snagged 56.4 percent of the market share while iOS grabbed 42 percent, leaving little room for competitors.
Similar cases were found in China and the big five European Union countries (Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain), where the Android/iOS pair made up 99.8 percent and 97 percent of smartphone sales during the same period. In those areas, though, Android’s popularity far outweighs iOS, with more than 83 percent of sales in urban China and 74 percent of sales in the EU5 going to Android.
While the operating systems have been dominant in the market for quite some time, Kantar analysts noted even attempted competition from other platforms like BlackBerry’s OS or Windows Mobile is dwindling.
“February’s Mobile World Congress 2017 demonstrated the true state of the market, with re-emerging brand names Nokia and Blackberry capturing a lot of attention, but now operating on Android rather than on their own legacy operating systems,” Lauren Guenveur, Global Consumer Insight director for Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, commented.
“It is difficult to see the impact of all the devices launched at MWC 2017 from the perspective of a U.S. consumer since many of them are not initially planned for sale in the U.S.,” Guenveur added. “Seventy percent of the U.S. domestic market is dominated by Apple and Samsung, and the third largest manufacturer, LG, accounted for an additional 11.1 percent of sales in the three months ending January 2017.”
Filed Under: Devices
