Kantar Worldpanel has released a new report that shows Android leading in the US, but both iOS and Windows Phone are growing at a faster rate. Both platforms experienced an increase in sales of 2.3 and 1.8 percentage points respectively, while Google's mobile platform was reported at 1.4 (year-on-year). Good news for Microsoft and its continued struggle to establish itself in the competitive North American market.
Through the 3 month period ending April 2013, Android currently holds more than half (51.7 percent) of the US smartphone sales market. iOS remained in second place with 41.4 percent, while Windows Phone's share of the sales remained at 5.6 percent, but has grown over the last year by the 1.8 percentage points reported above.
Interestingly, Kantar Worldpanel analyst Mary-Ann Parlato notes Verizon is seeing a positive boost in sales, which is down to Windows Phone:
"Verizon and Sprint’s slight increase is thanks to the growth of two key players. For Verizon, Windows’ share rose from 0.2% in the three months ending April 2012 to 6.8% by the period ending April 2013."
The report also goes into some detail about where Windows Phone owners are coming from. Of those who purchased a Windows Phone in the last year, 42 percent are new to the smartphone market, while 25 percent previously owned Windows Phone and 23 percent hopped on from Android. It's noted that iOS only captures just 31 percent from a featurephone, illustrating the strength of Windows Phone in attracting consumers who are new to smartphones.
Remember when we went into some detail about Nokia's plan to rejuvenate its brand with younger generations? We've touched on this numerous times since, but it appears as though the platform is also experiencing success in the younger demographic. Parlato continues, "Verizon and Sprint’s slight increase is thanks to the growth of two key players. For Verizon, Windows’ share rose from 0.2% in the three months ending April 2012 to 6.8% by the period ending April 2013."
The report ends with the observation that Nokia is the driving force behind Windows Phone, which we're fairly certain no one will challenge.
Source: Kantar; thanks, sagar, for the tip!
