Nearly half of iPhone 5c owners upgraded from competitors, notably Samsung and LG

The latest smartphone sales data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, for the three months spanning August 2013 to October 2013, shows that the new iPhone 5c and 5s models have helped boost Apple’s market share compared to the previous month.

iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s were released on September 20, 2013 in the US, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the UK.

Dominic Sunnebo, strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, comments: “In almost all markets, the iPhone 5s and 5c releases have given iOS a significant bounce compared to the previous month… The new releases have led to spectacular results in certain markets. In Japan, where the iPhone is now available via the country’s largest carrier NTT DoCoMo, Apple’s share hit 76.1% during October. In the US, Apple’s October share reached 52.8%. Mainland Europe remains more challenging for iOS, particularly in markets like Italy and Germany where handset subsidies are far lower. Britain is more positive; iOS sales share is now at 28.7% for the last 3 months, with sales driven by the higher-end 5S model which has outsold the 5C by three to one since their release.”

Sunnebo continues, “The cheaper 5c appeals to a broader audience than Apple usually attracts. In the US, the biggest demand for these mid-end models is coming from lower income households. Some 42% of iPhone 5c owners earn less than $49,000 compared with just 21% for iPhone 5s. iPhone 5c customers also tend to be slightly older at an average of 38 years compared to 34 years for the 5s. The good news for Apple is that this wider appeal is attracting significant switching from competitors. Almost half of iPhone 5c owners switched from competitor brands, particularly Samsung and LG, compared with 80% of 5s owners who upgraded from a previous iPhone model.”

Source: Kantar Worldpanel ComTech

MacDailyNews Take: Recognizing the error of their ways.

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