Android’s moment on top may be short lived, according to new data from research firm Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.
Analysts tempered news of Android’s high-flying third quarter — during which the OS accounted for 53% of global smartphone sales to iOS’s 15%, by Gartner’s figures —noting that the iPhone 4S wasn’t included in the figures. Apple shipped 17 million iPhones during the quarter, which was up 21% annually but down nearly 3% compared to the quarter before (CP: Android grabbed 53% market share during iPhone 4S-free quarter).
“Gartner believes Apple will bounce back in the fourth quarter because of its strongest-ever preorders for the iPhone 4S in the first weekend after its announcement,” Gartner said in a Nov. 15 statement.
In the United Kingdom, bounce it did. Kantar has reported, according to GigaOm, that in October, iPhones outsold Android smartphones, with Apple grabbing a nearly 43% share to Android’s 35%.
With holiday sales likely to boost figures on both sides, reports of global fourth quarter shipments may prove interesting indeed.