Apple’s iPhone sales have declined in the past few months ahead of the anticipated introduction of its latest device in the autumn and in the face of the immediate popularity of a Samsung smartphone rival.
The iPhone 4s handset remains the most popular in the UK with about a fifth of sales in June, according to industry research seen by the Financial Times, but this fell from about a quarter of all handsets sold at the beginning of March.
The research is supported by anecdotal evidence from people within the large mobile operators, who say that sales of the iPhone 4s have slowed as fans of the Apple operating system have begun to wait for a new version that has been rumoured as early as September.
The immediate success of Samsung’s latest Galaxy smart phone has also had an impact, according to one operator. The S3 model took close to 18 per cent of the market in its first week in June based on operator sales data compiled by Gfk, the research group, which it provides to its customers.
The Galaxy S3 phone has been well reviewed by users as the closest rival to Apple’s market leading iPhone given its high technical specification, with reports in some markets that the Korean company has had difficulty in meeting demand.
Sales of the Samsung phone that preceded the S3 also suffered ahead of its launch, dropping from more than 9 per cent at the start of March to just less than 6 per cent by mid-June.
However, including the sales of the Galaxy Ace and Galaxy Note, Samsung now accounts for a higher share of top ten handset sales than Apple, with more than 30 per cent. Meanwhile, the iPhone 4 and 4s accounted for about a fifth in total sales in mid-June, although this does not include handsets outside the top ten.
According to one person with knowledge of phone sales, in recent weeks, the popularity of the 4s has waned as the users of Apple’s iPhone have begun to wait until the next phone hits the market. There was a similar trend ahead of the launch of the 4s in October. The latest rumours suggest that Apple could launch its new phone, likely to be called the iPhone 5, as early as September.
According to recent data from Enders, smart phones are used by more than half of mobile owners in the UK, and nearly three quarters of contract users, with Apple still the leading smart phone brand with a 31 per cent share of users. Android, which is used by Samsung’s Galaxy range as well as by Taiwanese rival HTC, is the leading operating system with 39 per cent.
The data say that Apple continues to lead the market in loyalty, however, which would also suggest that the dip on sales of the 4s are of customers waiting for the next phone rather than them moving to the Android platform.
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