2012-12-23

Smartphone platform market share stats

Kantar Worldpanel has published mobile platform market share stats research regarding November 2012. There is also comparison data to November 2011. Those numbers can be played in many different ways. Here is a graph showing the market share change.

Hundred percent line means that a platform has not gained or lost any market share YoY. Fifty percent means a platform has lost half of its market share, and two hundred percent means a platform has doubled its market share.

This kind of graph can reveal some extra information in addition to looking only bare market share numbers.

Platform

  • Symbian is in decline everywhere. Not a surprise.
  • RIM is losing in many countries, but also gaining in Brazil.
  • iOS is mainly going down, except in US and Brazil.
  • Windows is gaining, except in Spain.
  • Android is growing, except in the US.
  • Bada has a huge spike in Brazil.

Country

  • In the US, iOS is growing strongly after iPhone 5 release.
  • Windows started practically from zero, but it is gaining everywhere. Spain is an exception, where the reason most probably is the lack of low-cost models. This means Windows is sold and pushed globally.
  • Android is the king.
  • In Brazil, Every platform has gained at the cost of Symbian. Even Bada has gained there significantly.

Other comments


It is no surprise Android is growing fast, because low-cost Android models have practically replaced feature phones in most countries.
Nokia is pushing Windows Phone globally, but it is a well-known fact that WP sales are seriously behind Symbian 1-2 years ago.
Apple should do something, or a decline will follow. US is an exceptional market with strong carrier handset subsidies, and success in the US can not be repeated in other countries.