According to the Strategy Analytics research firm, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) overtook Samsung to become the No. 1 phone vendor in the United States in Q4 2012. The report states that Apple managed to sell an impressive 17.7 million iPhone, while the Korean consumer electronics giant managed sold 16.8 million units in the last quarter. LG on the other took the third spot with meagre 4.7 million. The report states:
We estimate Apple shipped 17.7 million mobile phones for a record 34 percent share of the United States market in the fourth quarter of 2012. This was up sharply from 12.8 million units shipped and 25 percent share in Q4 2011.
But that’s not all. The figure doesn’t just take smartphones into consideration, but also phones, known as feature phones and dumb phones. As we know, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) only sells iPhone which is a smartphone, while Samsung and LG sell feature phones too, in addition smartphones. Because of this fact, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s achievement is even more impressive.
The reason for impressive sales figure could be due to the launch of the brand new sparkling iPhone 5 in September, but apart from that, the Cupertino company also dropped the prices of both the iPhone 4 and 4S. Both these reasons should have contributed to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s success in overthrowing Samsung from the top spot. Also Apple’s App Store has been a huge success, with a variety of apps for various purposes.
Samsung has been the number one mobile phone vendor in the US since 2008, and the Korean giant will try to recapture that title back in 2013 by possibly launching new smartphones the rumored Galaxy S4. Currently, Samsung’s Galaxy S3 has been the company’s flagship phone and if the rumors are true, the Galaxy S4 should come with impressive tech specs. But can Samsung regain the lost title? Only time will tell.
In the end, it is the consumers that benefit from competition. We will have to wait to see if and when more powerful smartphones come out in 2013.
