Android’s share of the smartphone market may be tumbling faster than most realize.
The latest data from Strategy Analytics indicates that smartphone shipments fell 5 percent annually to reach 24 million units in the United States during the second quarter of 2012.
What does that translate to in terms of market share? According to the report, Android lost ground to Apple’s iOS significantly in the last quarter with Android’s market share dipping to 56 percent.
“Smartphone shipments fell 5 percent annually to reach 23.8 million units in the United States in Q2 2012,” says Alex Spektor, Associate Director at Strategy Analytics. “This was one of the slowest growth rates ever experienced by the important US smartphone market. A volatile economy, maturing penetration of smartphones among contract mobile subscribers, and major operators tightening their upgrade policies to enhance profits were among the main causes of the slowdown.”
Strategy Analytics estimates that Android shipped 13.4 million smartphones in the second quarter of 2012. This was down from 15.3 million units shipped a year earlier.
Nonetheless, confirms Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, “Android remains the number one platform by volume in the United States, but its market share is approaching a peak and Apple iOS has been gaining ground.”
Apple’s US market share has risen by ten points from 23 percent in Q2 2011 to 33 percent in Q2 2012.
