Apple’s iPhone, which has steadily risen in marketshare against most competitors, hit a bump in February, losing 3.2 percent of its marketshare, according to a Web analysis firm. By comparison, the marketshare of Android-based phones rose 8.3 percent in February.
The problem isn’t a falling interest in the iPhone, says Quantcast. At 63 percent, the iPhone has the largest piece of the Mobile Web Consumption pie, the firm said. Rather, Android phones are taking off at a much faster pace. Android’s marketshare grew 44 percent during the past quarter and almost 100 percent the past year. This is while the iPhone’s marketshare fell 4.5 percent and 10.2 percent during the same periods.
“While Apple’s market share continues to decline (remember they’re still gaining the most in absolute mobile web consumption), the competition have a long way to go before there’s a real fight on their hands,” the analysts said Thursday.
While there may not be a bare-fisted street fight underway, opposing camps certainly appear to be preparing to slug it out over market share. Yesterday, Apple announced a lawsuit against HTC, alleging the handset maker violated 20 iPhone patents. Many see the move as a proxy battle, with HTC – which makes many Android-based phones – serving as a stand-in for Google.
[via Computerworld and Quantcast]
