Research: iPhone receives 'significant bounce' in Europe but Android still rules

New data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech (WPP's market research division) show rosy figures for Apple but rosier figures by far for Android.

According to the research report - which covers a three month period ending on 31 October - the iPhone 5S and 5C releases gave Apple "a significant bounce" in "almost all markets".

Despite the bounce, consumer reaction to the not-quite-budget-priced iPhone 5C has been mixed.

In the US, CIRP suggested that the more expensive iPhone 5S was outselling the 5C by 2 to 1.

On the other hand, Kantar's data found that the 5C is popular with "lower income households" in the US with 42 percent of 5C owners in America earning less than $49,000 per year.

In the UK, however, the current Apple ecosystem is far less ambiguous - Kantar holds that the 5S outsold the 5C at a rate of 3 to 1.

Even with the "significant bounce" by the iPhone 5S and 5C, very little changed in Europe where Android still commanded 70.9 percent of the smartphone market share compared to Apple's 15.8 percent for the same 12 week period.

In the United States, the figures were far more even with Android narrowly beating Apple out 47.7 percent to 47.2 percent - with Apple’s market share falling 6.4 percent.

Meanwhile in China, Android loomed large against iOS - 69.7 percent compared to 18.9 percent - with Android's market penetration increasing by 8.4 percent as Apple's waned by 4.6 percent.

And things are looking up for Nokia and Windows Phone. It now accounts for 10.2 percent of European smartphone sales.

[source: Kantar]