Android Switchers Drive iOS Growth in Europe [Chart]

The popularity of iOS continues to grow in Europe's five largest countries reaching 20.3%, reports Kantar. Sales data from the Kantar Worldpanel ComTech for 1Q15 shows that iOS market share grew 1.8% over last year. Europe's big five markets are Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain.

“In the first quarter of 2015, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus continued to attract consumers across Europe, including users who previously owned an Android smartphone,” reported Carolina Milanesi, chief of research at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. “On average, across Europe's big five countries during the first quarter, 32.4% of Apple’s new customers switched to iOS from Android.”

“In urban China, Apple consolidated its leadership in smartphones, growing its share to 26.1%, up from 17.9% for the same period in 2014,” said Tamsin Timpson, strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech Asia. “Thirty-eight percent of iPhone buyers were recommended an Apple device by someone they know, while 23% recall seeing an ad.” China is now driving more volume for Apple than the U.S., as the Cupertino company reaches beyond the more affluent buyers. In 1Q15, Apple represented 25% of smartphone sales in urban China's 2,000 to 4,000 RMBs income bracket — a 10.1 percentage point increase from the same period in 2014.


Android's share declined by 3.1% to 68.4% across Europe, as compared to last year. In the U.S. Android reached 58.1% market share, an increase of 0.2%.

Notably, Apple's iPhone 6 and 6 Plus already represent 18% of all iPhones in use in the United States. 64% of the iPhone installed base is an iPhone 5 or newer. This bodes well for the Apple Watch, as you must have a newer model iPhone to use it.

More details at the link below...

Read More