Apple’s iPhone is gaining strides in both North America and Western Europe, quickly turning Nokia into a marginalized player leading only in Africa and Asia, a new survey of smartphone usage indicates.
The iPhone, with 40 percent of the market, represented 54 percent of smart phone usage in North America during the fourth quarter of 2009, according to AdMob, the mobile advertising firm Google acquired in last year. In Western Europe, the iPhone and the iPod touch comprised more than half of smart phone usage, the company said Thursday. The gains were at the expense of Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson, the researchers said.
North America was also a high point for Google’s Android mobile operating system, rising to 27 percent during the fourth quarter, its highest level anywhere, said AdMob. Overall, Android use jumped from 1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008 to 18 percent during the same period in 2009.
Although Nokia lead Apple in Asia and Africa with 53 percent and 50 percent, respectively, the iPhone doubled its usage share in Asia to 27 percent after Apple launched the handset in several countries, according to AdMob.
iPhone global sales exploded in late 2009, with demand for the handset outside of the U.S. rocketing 150 percent, AdMob recently reported. Japan sales grew 350 percent, while France demand rose 300 percent, with Australia close behind.
Overall, the mobile ad network sees a trend favoring the iPhone. Network requests from iPhones reached 36 percent during the fourth quarter of 2009, compared to just 9 percent a year ago. Nokia’s share dropped to 18 percent from 33 percent during the fourth quarter of 2008.
