The rapid uptake of smartphones in the UK has seen continued competition between the three key operating systems Apple, Google and Symbian.
While rivalry among the big hitters in the smartphone market is not new, the fact the number of UK smartphone users has increased by 15% in the past year has intensified the competitiveness of the players.
In May 2011, 42% of UK mobile phone users owned a smartphone – compared to 27% in 2010, according to data revealed by ComScore.
Apple is now king of the smartphone market, having knocked Nokia of the number-one spot after a successful Q2 performance. The company reported record profits for the financial quarter together with sales of iPhones at 18.6 million, an incredible 113% increase in sales year-on-year.
And in the UK, Apple now has a 27.1% share of the smartphone market, an increase of 46% compared to May 2010.
However, Google’s Android platform is rapidly catching up with Apple in the UK when it comes to market share. Android now accounts for 26.7% of the marketplace, just 0.4% behind the leader.
Over the last year, Android gained nearly 4.7 million users – equivalent to a whopping 634% increase.
Android is able to appeal to different users thanks to advanced smartphones such as the HTC Sensation and Samsung Galaxy S II being launched alongside medium-entry devices including the Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini and even sporty numbers like the Xperia Active handset.
Symbian has actually lost 10% market share in the past year, and now has 22.5% of the UK smartphone market. Nokia struggled in Q2 2011, reporting a 34% drop in unit sales of its smartphones to 16.7 million and posting a net loss of £323 million.
RIM is now in fourth place after experiencing 59% year-on-year growth. And Microsoft has dropped 32% and now sits in fifth place in the UK.
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