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Technology Stocks : Smartphones: Symbian, Microsoft, RIM, Apple, and Others -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Eric L who wrote (1578)	8/1/2013 9:45:49 AM
From: Eric L	Respond to of 1647

AAWP Comments the latest Windows Phone Share data from Kantar Worldpanel ... ... and compares calendar Q2 share to Q1 in 6 markets. >> Kantar data shows shows UK and France as Windows Phone's strongest markets Rafe Blandford All About Windows Phone (AAWP) July 30th 2013 allaboutwindowsphone.com Two days ago Kantar released its latest set of Worldpanel data (June 2013) about smartphone sales data in a number of countries. The data shows continued year-on-year growth for Windows Phone in the UK (4.5% to 8.6%), France (2.3% to 9.0%), Mexico (1.9% to 7%), Australia (5.2% to 5.3%) and the US (2.9% to 4.0%). However, some markets, such as Germany (6.1% to 5.9%) and Italy (8.3% to 7.8%, show small drops in market share, painting a mixed picture for Windows Phone. As with the figures for May, the June figures shows a small month-on-month decline for a number of markets (e.g. US down from 4.6% in May to 4% in June). These figures are more than offset by some substantial monthly increases in other markets, the biggest of which is France, where Windows Phone devices have grown from 7.4% of unit sales to 9% of units sales. Consequently the overall trend for Windows Phone is continued growth, with Windows Phone now responsible for 6.9% of smartphone device sales by volume in the EU5 (Germany, UK, France, Italy, and Spain combined), up 2.2 percentage points on last year and 0.1% on last month. There is some evidence that the rate of growth has slowed slightly from earlier in the year; specifically the increase in sales unit share in the EU5 for Windows Phone was 0.9% in the first quarter versus 0.4% in the second quarter. Windows Phone is still a small player compared to iOS and Android (18.5%, 69.8% and 6.8% in the EU5 respectively), but with BlackBerry continuing to fade (falling from 2.5% to 2.2%) its place as the third ecosystem must now be considered secure. France (9%) replaces Italy (7.8%) as the strongest market for Windows Phone, with the UK close behind (8.6%). All three of these markets are notably ahead of the US (4%), which has now seen a full quarter of falling sales volume share. However, this trend may change in the months ahead, as the wider availability of the Lumia 520, and the introduction of the Lumia 925, 928 and 1020 start to have an impact on Windows Phone sales in Microsoft's home market. In general the growth of Windows Phone has been driven by lower cost devices, such as the Lumia 520/521, 620 and 720. The recent introduction of the Lumia 925, 928 and 1020 should drive further growth, but their impact is unlikely to be fully felt until the data for October is available (three months of sales for the twelve week moving average). Moreover, it's worth remembering that by their very nature high-end devices sell in smaller number than low-end devices, and, in the case of Windows Phone, arguably, face a more competitive environment at the higher end of the market. ... <snip rest> ... ### - Eric -

To: Eric L who wrote (1578)	9/2/2013 10:01:32 AM
From: Eric L	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1647

Latest Complete Kantar Worldpanel Sales Share Tables (9 markets + EU5) for 3 m/e July 2013 ... >> Apple rebounds as iPhone 4 pulls in smartphone first-timers Kantar Worldpanel ComTech 29/07/2013 kantarworldpanel.com The latest smartphone sales data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, for the three months to June 2013, show Apple’s iOS has surged 5.2 percentage points to 30.5% of the British smartphone market, driven by first-time smartphone buyers opting for the iPhone 4. Dominic Sunnebo, global strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, comments: “Although the flagship iPhone 5 was widely credited with boosting Apple’s global results last week, much of the market share growth for iOS in Britain is thanks to the competitively priced iPhone 4 attracting first time smartphone buyers. More than a third of iPhone 4’s sold were to consumers who have never owned a smartphone before, compared with just one in 10 new customers buying the iPhone 5. “Margins are tighter at the entry-level end of the market, but as consumers become more engaged with their smartphone they are increasingly prepared to invest more when they upgrade. Apple boasts the highest level of customer loyalty of the operating systems, and by capturing consumers at entry-level it is in a good position to grow its customer base in the future. With almost 19 million feature phone owners left in Britain, there is still a lot for iOS and the other platforms to compete for.” Despite the resurgence of iOS, Android continues to hold the number one spot in Britain with 56.2% of the market. This is also true across the five major European markets¹ where Android accounts for 69.8%, up from 64.5% a year ago, and in the USA where the platform has a 51.5% share, down from 52.6%. ¹ Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Spain (EU5) Windows Phone continues to consolidate its position as the third OS globally, with strong performances in Britain and France where it has 8.6% and 9.0% of the market respectively. However, its share in the important US market has dipped slightly from 4.6% in the three months to May to 4% now. Sunnebo continues, “While flagship Windows handsets such as the Nokia 925 and HTC 8X grab the headlines, it is the low and mid-range models, such as the Nokia Lumia 520 and 620, which are quietly driving its momentum. It is vital for Windows to be seen as a mainstream alternative to Android and iOS rather than a niche platform. Selling large volumes of lower end smartphones is a good way of getting Windows seen in the hands of potential customers’ friends and family, convincing them there isn’t a risk in choosing the operating system. The majority of people are trend followers, not trend setters, so Windows needs to get as many smartphones to market as quickly as possible.” Smartphone penetration in Great Britain stands at 65% in June, with 87% of devices sold in the past three months being smartphones. ### - Eric

To: Eric L who wrote (1578)	9/2/2013 10:34:52 AM
From: Eric L	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1647

Latest Complete Kantar Worldpanel Sales Share Tables (9 markets + EU5) for 3 m/e July 2013 ... >> Record Share for Windows Phone Kantar Worldpanel ComTech September 2 2013 kantarworldpanel.com The latest smartphone sales data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, for the three months to July 2013, shows Windows Phone has posted its highest ever level of 8.2% across the five major European markets¹, emerging as a key player in the smartphone race. ¹ The big five European markets (EU5) includes UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Dominic Sunnebo, strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, comments: “Android and Apple take the lion’s share of the headlines and continue to dominate smartphone sales, so it’s easy to forget that there is a third operating system emerging as a real adversary. Windows Phone, driven largely by lower priced Nokia smartphones such as the Lumia 520, now represents around one in 10 smartphone sales in Britain, France, Germany and Mexico. For the first time the platform has claimed the number two spot in a major world market, taking 11.6% of sales in Mexico.” Windows Phone’s growth isn’t coming from stealing Apple or Android consumers. Only 27% of Apple and Android users change their OS when they replace their handset, and those that do switch tend to move between the two big operating systems. Dominic continues: “Windows Phone’s success has been in convincing first time smartphone buyers to choose one of its devices with 42% of sales over the past year coming from existing featurephone owners. This is a much higher proportion than Android and iOS. The Lumia 520 is hitting a sweet spot, offering the price and quality that new smartphone buyers are looking for. “Featurephone owners present a huge opportunity, representing more than half of all mobile users globally² and this will be the new battleground over the next year. With the iPhone 4 and lower end or older Samsung Galaxy models selling well among first time smartphone owners, there is plenty of competition for these customers. The brands that win in this segment will be those that understand and address the needs of consumers in terms of price, content, and quality.” ² Global refers to USA, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Australia, Japan and China. Globally, Apple and Android continue to dominate sales, but there are interesting regional patterns emerging. Android is far stronger across the major European markets and China where it accounted for around 70% of smartphone sales during the past quarter. Apple continues to perform very well in the USA where it has grown its share to 43.4% of sales. It is also continuing to show strong year on year growth in Britain, France and Mexico. Sunnebo explains: “Apple and Android must focus on a balance between retaining existing customers and attracting featurephone owners to trade up if they want to continue their success over the next year.” Following a difficult year, BlackBerry now accounts for just 2.4% of sales across the big five European markets* and 1.2% in the United States. Smartphone % penetration in Great Britain stands at 66% in July, with 85% of devices sold in the past three months being smartphones. ### - Eric -

To: Eric L who wrote (1578)	9/2/2013 11:31:05 AM
From: Eric L	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1647

AAWP Comments Kantar 'Global' Windows Phone Sales Share for for 3 m/e July 2013... >> Kantar data shows Windows Phone at 8.3% of EU5 smartphone sales Rafe Blandford All About Windows phone (AAWP) September 2nd 2013 allaboutwindowsphone.com Kantar Worldpanel data, released today, shows that, in the three months to the end of July 2013, Windows Phone devices made up 8.3% of smartphone sales unit volumes in the EU5 (Germany, UK, France, Italy, and Spain), the highest ever level for the platform. Windows Phone also reached a record share of smartphone sales in Mexico (12%), taking second place behind Android, but ahead of BlackBerry and iOS, the first time this has happened in a market of significant size. In the UK and France, Windows Phone more than doubled its sales market share over the same period last year (4.2% to 9.2% and 3.6% to 11% respectively). Together with strong results from Germany, these figures saw Windows Phone's smartphone sales share increase from 4.3%, in the same period last year, to 8.2% this year. In the news story for the last set of Kantar data we said that there was some evidence that the growth of Windows Phone sales was slowing down in Europe, noting that the increase in sales unit share in the EU5 for Windows Phone was 0.9% in the first quarter versus 0.4% in the second quarter. However, that no longer appears to be the case, with the increase (1.ma3%) in market share between the June data (6.9%) and July data (8.2%) being the same as the previous six months combined, something that points towards strong sales of Windows Phone devices in July. However, sales in the US were relatively poor at 3.5% market share compared to earlier in the year, although the figure remain ahead of the same period last year. Windows Phone's figures in the US should see some improvement in the next few months, with the launch of the Lumia 928 and 1020, together with wider availability for the Lumia 520 and 925, likely to have a noticeably positive impact. Sales in China were also weak dropping to 2.4% sales share from 4.6% the previous year, suggesting Windows Phone is failing to find traction in the Chinese market. Windows Phone is still a relatively small player compared to iOS and Android (17.9%, 69.1% and 8.2% in the EU5 respectively), but Windows Phone is very firmly in third place, with three time more sales in the EU5 that its nearest rival (BlackBerry). Also noteworthy is the fact that Windows Phone now has a similar market share in the UK to that of Symbian in February 2011, the time at which Nokia announced its transition to Windows Phone. Kantar Worldpanel reports its data as a percentage market share of sales in the preceding 12 weeks (i.e. a three month moving average). The data is drawn from a continuous survey methodology, where consumers are interviewed and consumer behaviour recorded. Other notable trends and data points in this month's Kantar report include a stabilisation of Windows Phone sales in Italy (level after six months of month-on-month decreases), improved sales in Germany (higher than the Windows Mobile dominated 2010-11 period), and Windows Phone's share of sales volume in Australia moving well past the 5% mark. The growth of Windows Phone sales has been primarily driven by lower cost devices, such as the Lumia 520. Looking ahead, it will be interesting to see whether the introduction of devices like the Lumia 925, 928 and 1020 have a notable impact, something which would be desirable for Microsoft and its partners, if Windows Phone is too avoid being attached to a "best for cheap devices" label. Windows Phone is enjoying success, but it is on a relatively small scale. However, this is inevitable as it faces a very competitive environment, with a long term slow build the only likely scenario as Microsoft and its hardware partner seeks to build market share. ... <snip rest> ### - Eric -