USA: Android overtakes iPhone
Apple's exclusive partner strategy called into question
Android is in the fast lane in the smartphone race. In the first quarter of 2010, 28 percent of devices sold to consumers in the United States were using the Google operating system. According to a recent consumer survey by the market research company NPD Group, Android has overtaken the iPhone for the first time. Research in Motion is still the US market leader.
"As always, wireless operator sales and promotion have been a critical influence on market share," said Ross Rubin, NPD Executive Director of Industry Analysis. In this regard, Android currently seems to have an advantage over the Apple smartphone.
Android smartphones on the rise in the US (Photo: samsung.com)
Wake up call for Apple
The NPD Group itself refers to marketing campaigns such as two-for-the-price-of-one deals from Verizon Wireless, which have apparently successfully set accents in the fight against the iPhone. For Apple, on the other hand, the numbers could mean a wake-up call that the strategy of exclusive offering with only one wireless operator has no future.
"By now, pretty much every US customer who wants an iPhone and is ready to do AT&T will have an iPhone," explains Ezra Gottheil, senior technology business research analyst, to Computerword. The exclusive partner strategy, which was also pursued in many other countries, could fall on Apple's head. This is all the more true since, according to current speculations in the US media, the company could be tied to AT&T until 2012.{jumi [plugins/content/jumi/newsgrafik.php]}
Android is growing more slowly in Europe
On the European market, the situation is a little different overall. Symbian is still number one in the USA, which is largely insignificant, and the dynamics are also slightly different. "There is no doubt that Android is also growing in Europe, but not nearly as clearly as in the USA," said Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi when asked by pressetext. This is due to the relatively limited range of devices available so far. "The sales figures should increase now, as Samsung and LG expand their offerings", the analyst stresses.(ck)
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