Surprise! iPhone 4 and 3GS continue to lead in U.S. smartphone sales in the third quarter.
One of the leaders in market research, NDP Group, has published some new third quarter results in the mobile phone market. Apple has dominated the top two spots in sales for the third quarter while the remaining three consists of Android devices.
Here are the results of the top five best-selling mobile phone handsets directly from their new Smartphone Track service:
- iPhone 4 (Apple)
- iPhone 3GS (Apple)
- EVO 4G (HTC)
- Droid 3 (Motorola)
- Intensity II (Samsung)
Although Apple is the leader in the U.S. smartphone sales, Android is a worthy competitor. Android devices have surpassed Apple’s iOS, leading with 52% of sales for the quarter. This compares to a 29% share held by the Cupertino company.
Apple has maintained their previous quarter holdings: the same top spots with the same two handsets. This goes to show that while the older 3G model was launched in June of 2009, it has not hindered its hold on the U.S. popularity. The iPhone 4S was released in October of this year, much later than was expected.
The report also notes that while the prices are continuing to climb for all the latest and greatest smartphones out there, their respective accessories sales have stayed relatively unchanged since last year. Executive director of industry analysis for NPD, Ross Rubin, has shared his input:
This indicates further opportunity for retailers to improve revenue numbers by focusing marketing efforts on selling more accessories.
I will say I am guilty of not buying many accessories when buying a new phone. The only reason my iPhone has a case now, is thanks to the free case program Apple rolled out in response to the widespread antennagate. In any case, increasing sales in more cases, Bluetooth headsets and adapters can only increase the bottom line. These are the top five U.S. accessory brands for the same quarter:
- Zagg
- Otter Products
- Just Wireless
- Motorola
- Incase Designs
With the iPhone 4s breaking sales records this year, expect to see the Siri powered handset high up in the next quarter’s ratings. Also, with more innovating use of the Android software, don’t expect to always see Apple dominating sales figures for too long.
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