Are rumours of Apple's decline premature? iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S BOTH outsold Galaxy SIII in the last three months of 2012
- Apple sold 27.4million iPhone 5s and 17.4million 4S handsets in Q4
- That compared to sales of just 15.4million for Samsung's Galaxy SIII
- Comes as Steve Wozniak warns Apple is losing 'cool guy' status
The iPhone 5 and the iPhone 4S each outsold the Galaxy SIII in the last quarter of 2012, between them accounting for one in five smartphones sold, new research shows.
The figures show Apple's current smartphone models soared ahead of Samsung's flagship mobile to become the first and second biggest sellers toward the end of the year.
The surge in popularity of Apple phones appears to refute suggestions that consumers are getting bored of the the Silicon Valley company's products.
World's most popular smartphones: The iPhone 5, left, and the iPhone 4S, right, between them took the first and second spot in sales in the final quarter of 2012, selling 27.4million and 17.4million respectively
Shares in Apple have slumped 34 per cent since a September peak and Steve Wozniak, who co-founded the company with Steve Jobs in 1976, yesterday warned the company seemed to be losing its 'cool guy' status.
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Nevertheless, figures from tech market research firm Strategy Analytics showed Apple sold 27.4million iPhone 5s in Q4 and 17.4million iPhone 4S handsets.
That compared to sales of 15.4million for the Samsung Galaxy SIII, a whopping 12million fewer shipped than Apple's top-of-the-range smartphone.
Due for an upgrade: Samsung's Galaxy SIII, here brandished by models in South Korea, has been beaten into their place in the smartphone market by Apple's surprise surge in sales, figures from Strategy Analytics show
THE FIGURES WHICH SHOW APPLE IS REGAINING SMARTPHONE DOMINANCE
| Global Smartphone Shipments by Model (Millions of Units) | Q3 '12 | Q4 '12 |
|---|---|---|
| Apple iPhone 5 | 6.0 | 27.4 |
| Apple iPhone 4S | 16.2 | 17.4 |
| Samsung Galaxy S3 | 18.0 | 15.4 |
| Others | 132.6 | 156.8 |
| Total | 172.8 | 217.0 |
| Global Smartphone Marketshare by Model (% of Total) | Q3 '12 | Q4 '12 |
|---|---|---|
| Apple iPhone 5 | 3.5% | 12.6% |
| Apple iPhone 4S | 9.4% | 8.0% |
| Samsung Galaxy S3 | 10.4% | 7.1% |
| Others | 76.7% | 72.3% |
| Total | 100.0% | 100.0% |
'The iPhone 5 captured an impressive 13 percent share of all smartphones shipped globally and it has become the world’s best-selling smartphone model for the first time ever,' said Strategy Analytics.
'A rich touchscreen design, extensive distribution across dozens of countries, and generous operator subsidies have been among the main causes of the iPhone 5’s success.
'In addition to the iPhone 5, Apple shipped an estimated 17.4 million iPhone 4S units for 8 percent smartphone share globally in Q4 2012.
'Apple’s iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S are currently the world’s two most popular smartphone models.'
Warning: The positive news for Apple came as co-founder Steve Wozniak warned that Apple was facing tougher competition than ever from mobile phone and tablet computer rivals
With the Galaxy due for an update, it perhaps does not seem surprising that the latest Apple device outsold it, but what did surprise observers was that the older 4S model also outsold the more highly specced Samsung phone.
The positive news for Apple came as co-founder Steve Wozniak warned that Apple was facing tougher competition than ever from mobile phone and tablet computer rivals.
In an interview with Bloomberg, the 62-year-old, who designed the first Apple computers, said Apple should consider opening up its ecosystem by, for example, allowing buyers of rival mobiles access to iTunes.
He warned that as competitors innovated their products, Apple was increasingly being forced to rely on its appeal as a premium brand rather than having features to outclass competing devices.
'We used to have these ads, I’m a Mac and I’m a PC, and the Mac was always the cool guy,' he said. 'And ouch, it’s painful, because we kind of are losing that.'
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