iPhone discounts help Apple in battle for smartphone market

APPLE is regaining ground in the battle for control of the UK smartphone market after cutting the cost of its iPhone 4, according to research released today.

 

Kantar Worldpanel ComTech found that almost a third of British purchasers chose products running Apple’s iOS software in the three months to June 2013, up five per cent year-on-year. The research firm said Apple’s decision to sell old iPhones at a discount was boosting market share, although Google’s Android system is comfortably in the lead with 56 per cent of sales.

 

 

Meanwhile, BlackBerry sales continued to tumble and Windows mobile is quietly gaining market share thanks to the availability of cheap handsets.

 

“Selling large volumes of lower end smartphones is a good way of getting Windows seen in the hands of potential customers’ friends and family,” said Kantar’s Dominic Sunnebo. 

 

The research shows 87 per cent of phones sold in the UK during the last quarter were smartphones.