New research data shows iPhone at top of sales charts by vendor across most of the world

New research data shows that Apple's iOS saw a significant sales percentage boost with the release of the iPhone 7 family, with year-over-year sales growth in a three-month measurement period ending in October.

In the US, iPhone sales grew 7 percentage points year-over-year in a period measured from Aug.1 to Oct. 31, from 33.5 percent of smartphone sales to 40.5 percent in the three months ending October 2016, according to Kantar Worldpanel. This represents the strongest rate of growth seen by the analysts for iOS in more than two years, as well as the highest share seen since the three months ending January 2015.

Android remains the dominant mobile OS in the US, holding 57.9 percent of smartphone sales — but falling. The data collected by Kantar represents the fifth consecutive year-over-year period decline for Android.

Other notable highlights for the report include the fact that the iPhone 7 family was in the top 10 smartphones sold in all regions of the world but Spain. Specifically, in the U.K., the iPhone 7 was the top-selling device, with the iPhone 6s coming in second, and the iPhone SE third.

Apple remains in the lead in Japan, with iPhones claiming 51.7 percent of all smartphone sales.

The lack of a headphone jack appears to not have been an issue for U.S. consumers, with the iPhone 7 garnering 10.6 percent of smartphone sales, despite only being available for one month out of three in the survey period, and then with constrained availability. The iPhone 6s held second place, with the Galaxy S7 in third, and the iPhone 7 Plus in fourth.

The iPhone 7 was the second-best selling phone in urban China in the evaluation period, capturing 3.8 percent of smartphone sales, with the iPhone 7 Plus in the top 10, grabbing 1.9 percent. Android still holds 82.6 percent of the market in China, with iOS devices hitting 17.1 percent of sales in total. Local vendors Xiaomi and Oppo hit 15.9 percent and 11.8 percent, respectively.

"The apparent lopsided market share figures are not a reason for doubting the strength or future of the position held by Apple's iOS," said Kantar Worldpanel ComTech Consumer Insight director Lauren Guenveur. "While Android dominates in terms of the raw number of devices it powers, Apple remains the most desirable smartphone brand in the world."

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27 Comments

anantksundaram 20389 comments · 18 Years

About 7 years ago

So what else is new. Clueless analysts, clueless media, clueless tech blogs, all parroting and feeding us the same cr$p about iPhone 7 being a (relative) failure.

And everybody condescendingly bloviates that "fake news" is an affliction of Trump supporters (which, of course, it is).... No, it's endemic. It's all around us, from both the Right and the Left.

canukstorm 2737 comments · 11 Years

sog35 said:

Apple needs to send more $$$ to 'research' companies like Kantar. Send them a couple million.

Do the same with IDC. Nice little $5 million check.

Apple is waging a PROPAGANDA WAR versus Wall Street, the tech media, and its rivals. Spending $10 million a year on marketing expense to these research companies is well worth it.

Spending $20 million a year is a drop in the bucket compared to the cost to shareholders from negative bullshit 'research'. Gogoggle, Samdung, and Microshit all plays this same game. Apple should join and pay out even more $$$

So you want Apple to "bribe" research companies to make it look favorable?

apple ][ 9225 comments · 13 Years

anantksundaram said:

And everybody condescendingly bloviates that "fake news" is an affliction of Trump supporters (which, of course, it is).... No, it's endemic. It's all around us, from both the Right and the Left.

No kidding.

When I hear the term 'fake news', I immediately think of CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, New York Times etc. The mainstream media is the #1 culprit behind fake, BS news and lies.

I find it funny that those same outlets are now worried about so-called 'fake news'. They can all kiss my ass. They're not needed anymore, and their game is up. The charade is over, they can all go to hell, or even better, they can go out of business, and then go to hell.

tyler82 1106 comments · 18 Years

Nobody is buying iPhone 7's. There is no point in upgrading, Apple ran out of ideas, iPhone 7 is a holdover for the iPhone 8, iPhone 7 ship times sre still 2-3 weeks 3 months after launch because Apple didn't make enough to purposefully look like they are selling more than is on supply. Global warming is a hoax created by the Chinese.

stantheman 332 comments · 11 Years

sog35 said:

Apple needs to send more $$$ to 'research' companies like Kantar. Send them a couple million.

Do the same with IDC. Nice little $5 million check.

Apple is waging a PROPAGANDA WAR versus Wall Street, the tech media, and its rivals. Spending $10 million a year on marketing expense to these research companies is well worth it.

Spending $20 million a year is a drop in the bucket compared to the cost to shareholders from negative bullshit 'research'. Gogoggle, Samdung, and Microshit all plays this same game. Apple should join and pay out even more $$$

sog recommends that Apple be managed like Samsung. Samsung is now up on charges of paying bribes to Korean officials. Again. A few years ago, it was disclosed that Samsung paid people to post false comments at online sites praising Samsung phones and criticizing iPhones. At other times, it provided gifts to "journalists" reviewing its products. Only a foolish person would rely on Samsung to be honest. To win an imaginary "war with Wall Street," sog recommends that Apple abandon its reputation for honest dealing and manipulate the share price.

Apple does pay companies to survey consumers, but it does so under private contract and keeps survey results as trade secrets. Because Apple survey results are not released publicly, there is no incentive to distort the results as a means of influencing customer buying patterns. By contrast, the IDC-type surveys are performed both to collect useful data but also as a marketing tool for the company that pays for its surveys.