For the first time since the launch of the iPhone 4S, it is not the #1 smartphone in America.
In August, sales of Samsung’s rival, the Galaxy S III, surpassed that of Apple’s smartphone, according to Canaccord Genuity analyst T. Michael Walkley.
“We believe this is the first month since the iPhone 4S launched in October 2011 that it was not the top-selling smartphone in the U.S. market,” Walkley affirmed.
Samsung has been very specific that it does not see other Android phones as its competitor – it looks directly at the iPhone. It believes the Galaxy S line can be the definitive Android brand.
And that isn’t just blind arrogance. Samsung owns an astounding 30.6% of the mobile phone market as of last month. It toppled Nokia as the leader in the industry for the first time in 15 years.
And with more than 50% of American consumers now owning smartphones, and with Android as the most popular smartphone platform by far, owning that industry is a huge deal.
The Galaxy S III saw an almost unparalleled global launch on May 29, with 100 carrier partners already secured at dozens of countries throughout the planet.
That is exactly the reason that this phone has been such a success. The conventional strategy for cell phones has always been to secure a deal with one carrier in regions like the US, because when you do that, the carrier will give you favorable terms.
But that seems to be less of a worry now when customers care about the phone more than the carrier these days. It will be interesting to see if this carrier-agnostic phenomenon continues.
