The strong debut of the iPhone 5 has enabled Apple (AAPL) to take the lead in U.S. smartphone market share back from devices that use Google (GOOG)’s Android OS, research firm Kantar WorldPanel ComTech said on Tuesday.
The latest figures compiled by the London-based firm reveal that between August 5 and October 28, Apple’s U.S. market share more than doubled on a year-over-year basis to a lofty 48.1% share of U.S. smartphone sales, compared to Android’s 46.7%.
“The last time we saw iOS overtake Android in the US was when the iPhone 4S was released and Apple managed to retain its lead for three consecutive periods,” Kantar Global Consumer Insight Director Dominic Sunnebo said in a press release.
Sunnebo now predicts that Apple will beat its previous high of 49.3% and record its highest ever share of the U.S. smartphone market “within the next two periods.”
Despite Apple’s renewed success in the U.S., Google’s Android continues to dominate in key European markets. The platform holds 74 percent market share in Germany and a staggering 81.7 percent market share in Spain.
“Germany remains a tough market for Apple with its share falling by 5.1 percentage points over the past year. The Samsung Galaxy S3 has taken almost a quarter of the country’s smartphone sales over the past 12 weeks to boost Android yet further,” the report said. “In Italy, strong sales of the Nokia Lumia 610, the fourth best selling handset over the past 12 weeks, and the Nokia Lumia 800, the seventh best selling, have helped drive Windows’ share up to 11.7% – the highest across Europe.”
Apple’s smartphones only account for 21% of sales across Europe, compared to Android’s 64% share, from 51% a year earlier. That said, Apple continues to perform fairly well in four of the five major European countries with a particularly strong performance in Britain where it holds a 32.7% share.
At last check, Apple’s stock was down $1.97, or 0.33%, to $587.56.
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