iphone5Research firm Kantar Worldpanel released two new reports on Monday, revealing various findings about the growth in sales on the strength of iOS devices for U.S. carrier T-Mobile, as well as Apple’s growing market share in Japan when compared to other mobile platforms such as Android. Both reports were published for the three-month period ending in August 2013.

The first report states that T-Mobile accounted for 13.2% of smartphone sales in the U.S. market during the three-month period, marking the carrier's highest share over the past year with a growth of 1.1% compared to the year-ago quarter. The iPhone 5 also remained the top-selling smartphone at T-Mobile, accounting for 17.1% of sales.

Kantar Worldpanel ComTech Global Strategic Insight Director, Dominic Sunnebo states, “When iOS first debuted on T-Mobile in mid-April, the majority of sales came from consumers upgrading from a featurephone to their first smartphone. However, looking at those who purchased an iPhone in the August period, 56% of those consumers came from another smartphone, including 38.5% from an Android device.”

The second report shows the growth of Apple’s iOS as a whole in various international markets, with Apple maintaing a strong year-over-year growth in making up 39.3% of total smartphones sales in the United States, up over five percentage points over the previous year and a number that is expected to spike following the launch of Apple’s refreshed iPhone line. The report also shares evidence of Apple’s emergence in the Japanese market:

Apple and Android have recorded almost identical shares of sales in Japan – 48.6% and 47.4% respectively. However, news that the new iPhone range will be available on Japan’s largest carrier, NTT DoCoMo, for the first time, makes it likely that Apple will pull ahead of Android in this key market.

Kantar Worldpanel previously reported the success of the iPhone for T-Mobile in June, along with growth of Apple’s market share with various carrier expansion. Both reports did not include the launch figures of Apple’s new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c, which combined for a total of nine million units sold in the first weekend.

Top Rated Comments

StrongArmmed Avatar
154 months ago
Parity in Japan?? Driving T-Mobile sales in the most recent period? Nine million phones sold opening weekend??

That looks so...dire. Apple's demise is surely foretold.. /s :rolleyes:
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FlatlinerG Avatar
154 months ago
Parity in Japan?? Driving T-Mobile sales in the most recent period? Nine million phones sold opening weekend??

That looks so...dire. Apple's demise is surely foretold.. /s :rolleyes:


Apple is a sinking ship according to the majority of MacRumors members. :p

iOS 7 is a flop, they say.
iPhone 5s and 5c are terrible, they say.
Jobs never would have allowed this, they say.

and yet, sales are up and market share is increasing.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BC2009 Avatar
154 months ago
You're right. I'd like to see how anyone can spin this report into bad news.
Analysts will find a way. They found a way to predict 6M iPhone launch sales and then try to twist things to say that they weren't considering all these known factors such as sales in China and Japan and sales to retail channels for iPhone 5C (despite the fact that last year Apple shipped a bunch of 16GB iPhone 4S and 8GB iPhone 4 units to retailers). They also claim that they were simply trying to count sales to actual customers (which has never been a metric that could be actually measured).

Apple has the strictest form of accounting when it comes to sales reported. They don't report sales until the risk is transferred and they have a reasonable belief of collection (for retailers on 30, 60 or 90 terms to make payment). For sales from their online store they don't count the sale when it is ordered or shipped, but rather when the customer has signed for the package because that is the point where the risk has been transferred.

Apple's 9M iPhone sales this year are reported in the exact same way as the 5M iPhone sales were reported with last year's launch. Last year Munster tried to say he was only off by 5M because he was counting unshipped preorders while this year he claimed he was off because he was only counting iPhones in customers hands. Maybe Munster was just wrong --- seems more plausible to me. Gene Munster and Peter Misek should be out of a job with how often they are wrong.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ValSalva Avatar
154 months ago
Well, Japan and the US, where iOS is at or near the top of market share, make up ONLY 31% of the world's GDP. There's no money to be made there. :rolleyes:

I hadn't thought of that. You are right. Apple is doomed :D
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
osofast240sx Avatar
154 months ago
Apple is a sinking ship according to the majority of MacRumors members. :p

iOS 7 is a flop, they say.
iPhone 5s and 5c are terrible, they say.
Jobs never would have allowed this, they say.

and yet, sales are up and market share is increasing.
Don't forget they also say apple needs to make a bigger phone
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PracticalMac Avatar
154 months ago
It's gonna be harder for a carrier not to carry iPhone now.

Every carrier that gained iPhone saw sales go up.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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