Huge iPhone 6 sales put Apple on course for record quarter

The iPhone 6 launch has sent Apple’s share of British smartphone sales up 10.4 percentage points.

The latest smartphone sales data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, for the three months to October 2014, shows that the iPhone 6 launch has sent Apple’s share of British smartphone sales up 10.4 percentage points. Apple now accounts for 39.5% of British sales, its highest ever level.

Across Europe*, Android sales still lead at 69.4% despite falling 2.5 percentage points. Apple’s iOS is up 5.7 percentage points to 20.7% thanks to the iPhone 6; Windows stands in third with 8.7% of the market.

Dominic Sunnebo, strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, comments: “Apple has experienced a huge jump in sales share across almost all major markets thanks to the launch of the iPhone 6. In major European economies, the US and Australia, Apple’s share of sales has risen. This success is particularly evident in Great Britain where Apple now has its highest ever share of sales with 39.5%. Most of these sales were driven by loyal Apple users. Some 86% of British buyers upgraded from an older iPhone model, only 5% switched across from Samsung.”

Early adopters of the iPhone 6 in Great Britain are typically 16-24 year olds (34% of sales) and male (64%). The top reasons shoppers gave for choosing the iPhone 6 were 4G capability (51%), screen size (49%) and design (45%). Every time Apple releases a new iPhone the share of sales made through its own stores significantly increases, and this occasion was no different. Almost a third (31%) of iPhone 6 sales in Great Britain were sold directly through Apple’s retail offer. The iPhone 6 outsold the 6 Plus by a 4:1 ratio.

Sales in the US

In the US, Apple sales rose by a more modest 0.7% in the three months ending October 2014 versus the same period a year ago. Verizon (42.2%) and AT&T (41.4%) took an almost equal share of iPhone 6 sales, but AT&T held an impressive 63% share of iPhone 6 Plus sales, showing that it was being favoured on larger screen devices. The iPhone 6 outsold the iPhone 6 Plus by a 3:1 ratio, with 6 Plus buyers tending to be older than iPhone 6 buyers. Overall, iPhones made up four out of the five best-selling models over the past three months.

Sales in China

In China, Apple’s share grew by 0.2 percentage points to 15.7% in the three months ending October, growth driven by the success of the iPhone 6. Both the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus became available in China on October 17 and, despite the short availability, the iPhone 6 was the third best selling device in October. However, it is local brand Xiaomi that continues to dominate. Its Xiaomi RedMi Note ‘phablet’ was the top selling model in October, bringing Xiaomi’s share of the market to 29.9% over the past three months.

Check out the evolution of the OS market shares in our interactive dataviz. You can also embed it on your own website from now on. Check it out!

*The big five European markets include Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Spain.