Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. (KRX:005935) are still gaining steady market share in the US, despite facing increased threats from Chinese smartphone vendors globally. According to the latest report from ComScore, which tracked the US smartphone market for the Q2 2014, the market share of both of the world’s biggest smartphone makers rose by 0.7% and 1.6%, respectively. As the countdown to the launch of the eagerly awaited iPhone 6 is about to begin, the U.S smartphone market will be a key area to observe over the second half of the year.
Samsung’s market share has risen steadily during the three months ending June 2014, due to its new flagship model, the Galaxy S5. Interestingly, Apple is still gaining smartphone market share in the US, almost a year after the release of the iPhone 5S and 5C models. The top smartphone operating system, meanwhile, continued to be Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) owned Android OS, with a market share of 52.1%, compared with iOS market share of 42.1%.
Samsung And HTC Could Be Run Over By Apple From September
The US is still considered as the forefront of the global smartphone market, despite increasing signs that the growth could soon stall to 0%. The country’s mobile market penetration stood at 71.6%, with a grand total of 173 million smartphone users. Apple continues to be the leading smartphone vendor, solidifying its market share to 42.1% in June from 41.4% in March. These figures are all the more impressive, given that both Samsung and HTC Corp (TPE:2498) launched their flagship devices during the three months before June 2014. Apple has not only survived with the lead position in the competitive US market, but has continued to solidify its commanding position despite no new product releases for the last eight months.
All the other leading firms, including Motorola, LG Electronics Inc. (KRX:066570) and HTC have all lost market share by 0.5%, 0.3% and 0.6% respectively. Samsung was the only other vendor besides Apple in the top five vendors, to increase its market share from 27% in March to 28.6% by June. The Korean electronics giant is struggling to retain market share globally, but its US market is still sturdy for the moment. Samsung is expected to introduce two more devices, which include the Galaxy Note 4 and the full-metal Galaxy S5 variant, before Apple launches the large screen 4.7 inch screen iPhone.
Android Market Share Is Still The Largest in The U.S
In Q2 2014, Google Android reached a market share of 85% among smartphone operating systems globally. In the US, however, the decline of Android market share against Apple iOS – only for smartphone – is hurting Android directly. The market share Android dropped by 0.3% point to 51.9%, while those of Apple iOS surged by 0.7% point to grab 42.1% of subscribers. Although several low and high-end products have been launched in the US such as the LG G3 and the Moto G, still Android failed to gain significant market share during the three months ending June 2014.
Microsoft Corporation. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows Phone operating system market share also rose by 0.1% to reach 3.4% during the three months ending June 2014. The decline of the other operating systems such as BlackBerry OS and Symbian OS, has turned the U.S smartphone OS platform into a clear iOS vs Android battle. The second half of 2014 will see the release of several new powerful products powered by the latest versions of both operating systems.
Apple iPhone 6 Could Shift the U.S market Considerably
Except Samsung, all other Android OEMs have struggled to match Apple between March and July 2014, despite introducing their new and best smartphones. Things could get even more difficult over the next few months, as Apple unveils the 4.7 inch iPhone 6 on 9 September 2014. If Apple manges to create a radically new device, it could fundamentally alter the phablet market, which is currently dominated by Samsung, HTC and others. This could have a direct impact on the future of Android and its OEMs in the US. Even after eight months since the launch, Apple’s iPhone 5S is still the best-selling device in the world, and there is no reason to doubt Apple’s iPhone 6 could top the sales to an even higher margin.
What impact will the iPhone 6 have on the U.S smartphone market? Could Apple really alert the U.S and other markets globally with a simple large screen device? Do let us know in the comments section below.
