The iPhone 4S has been selling in droves since its October launch, and although in appearance it’s identical to its predecessor, the likes have Siri have made it a must for may iPhone devotees.
Since the most-anticipated of releases, it has remained the best selling smartphone on the three major US carriers – Verizon Wireless, AT&T and Sprint. T-Mobile, which completes the quartet of significant Stateside networks, doesn’t yet retail Apple’s flagship smartphone, thus Samsung’s Galaxy S II sits atop the pile until a deal can be struck to add iPhone to its roster.
Research conducted by Canaccord Genuity analyst Mike Walkley and his team corroborate the notion of a strong Christmas period for smartphones across the board, with Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus – after a relatively long wait – joining the 4S and S II as one of the power sellers.
“Our December checks indicated iPhone sales remained strong in the U.S., and we forecast total iPhone sales of over 12M units in the U.S. market for the December quarter,” Walkley wrote in his research evaluation. “Further, our checks indicated strong global share gains with iPhone 4S launching in new markets including Brazil and Russia during December and set to launch in China and other markets in January. In addition, our checks indicated iPad 2 remains the top-selling global tablet with Amazon’s Kindle Fire the closest competitor due to its materially lower price.”
Unsurprisingly, RIM and HTC both lost a chunk of market share last month. HTC profits dipped for the first time in two years, with consumers opting for the slicker devices offered by market-leading Samsung and Apple. Meanwhile, BlackBerry sales have also been plummeting – despite the introduction the newish touch/keyboard Bold 9900. On a cluttered OS and clutching desperately to BlackBerry Messenger, things don’t look too good for the once popular smartphone maker.
“Our December checks indicated weaker sales trends for both RIM and HTC, with these OEMs facing increased competition from broader iPhone distribution and new Android smartphone launches,” Walkley continued. “Further, we believe weak trends are company-specific for both OEMs rather than indications of a weaker smartphone macro.”
With Google Android Chief Andy Rubin tweeting just before Christmas of 700,000 daily activations of Android devices, Apple’s platform doesn’t quite have the whole market licked; but this is to be expected with only two iPhones retailing compared with the many – often cheaper – smartphones on the market.
(via BGR)
You may also like to check out:
- Google’s Android Vs. Apple’s iOS: Christmas Match
- Record 1.2 Billion iOS And Android Apps Downloaded During The Christmas Week
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