14 DAY TRIAL // Apple might have a hard time staying close to Android in terms of sales share, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that the iPhone isn’t selling better than the flagships of its fiercest rivals.
Data provided by Strategy Analytics shows that the iPhone remains the top smartphone in the United States, with total sales reaching 12 million in the third quarter of 2017. And while this makes Apple the leading manufacturer with 30.4 percent share versus 25.1 percent for Samsung, it’s still a decline from 13 million sold units in the same quarter the year before.
The reason is as easy as it could be: iPhone 8 sales were below the ones of the iPhone 7 in the same quarter of 2016, and it’s all because the majority of buyers decided to wait for the iPhone X and not spend their money on a smartphone that comes with subtle improvements over the previous generation.
“We estimate Apple shipped 12.0 million iPhones for 30 percent marketshare in the US in Q3 2017, dipping from 13.0 million units and 32 percent share in Q3 2016. Demand for the new iPhone 8 portfolio was mixed, while some Apple fans delayed purchases in anticipation of the later introduction of iPhone X,” Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, said.
iPhone X launched on November 3
And while Apple dropped from 32.5 percent share to 30.4 percent, Samsung actually increased 0.9 percent to 25.1 percent during the quarter, remaining the second-most-popular smartphone manufacturer in the United States.
LG, ZTE, and Motorola have also posted substantial increases in terms of sales, but none of them can currently be considered a rival to Apple or Samsung.
Without a doubt, next-quarter statistics will be a lot more interesting to look into because the iPhone X launched on November 3 and it is expected to generate a substantial increase in terms of sales and market share for Apple. Apple is expected to align production with demand by the end of the year, so in early 2018, everyone should be able to walk into an Apple Store and buy an iPhone X without waiting.