UK iPhone sales triple in October

Pent-up UK demand for the new iPhone 4S was considered the driver

Apple's iPhone sold more than three times as many phones in October compared to the three previous months, even though smartphones have only 27% marketshare of the global mobile phone market.

According to Guardian, pent-up UK demand for the new iPhone 4S was the driver for the massive surge in sales. In the bargain, it overshadowesd the rival Google platform, according to data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.

Data released by the research company shows Apple's iPhone accounted for 42.8% of UK smartphone sales in October alone, as against 35% for all Android phones in the same period. The figures from also show the UK market is gravitating towards smartphones.

Though sales of smartphones grew by 43% in October, the overall phone market dropped by 4% in October as "feature phone" sales nearly fell by 50%.

Smartphones made up 69.8% of sales over the three months, which means that 44.8% of the Britons now own a smartphone. However, there are still 29 million adults in the UK who do not yet use a smartphone, which presents a massive opportunity for rival brands.

ComTech global insight director Dominic Sunnebo said that 75% of sales of iPhones in the period went to people who already owned one, demonstrating strong brand loyalty among existing customers.

Sunnebo added, "The October launch of the hugely anticipated iPhone 4S has catapulted Apple into second place among operating systems based on the last 12 weeks of sales. However, if you just look at the month of October, Apple took a whopping share of all smartphone sales, giving it a significant lead over Android - a feat many thought was impossible."

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