Whether the November launch of the iPhone X was a strategic decision or driven by manufacturing issues, Apple took a huge gamble this year by deviating from its rhythm of releasing the new flagship in late September.
The move was further complicated by the company’s decision to release its more incrementally updated iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus in that September slot. Knowing how consumers would react to these unusual choices was anyone’s guess: Buy the new iPhone 8 right away? Wait for the iPhone X? Not buy anything?
For the moment, Apple says the iPhone X is selling like gangbusters and the company is racing to ramp up production to meet demand. But a new report from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech reveals just how much ground Apple lost in October and how much it needs those iPhone X sales to compensate.
According to Kantar, for the three months ending in October 2017, Apple’s iOS lost 7.6 percent market share in the U.S., while Android gained 8.2 percent. Between the two, they captured 98.6 percent of the U.S. market share. The market share for iOS also dipped in Europe’s five largest countries and in Japan.
“It was somewhat inevitable that Apple would see volume share fall once we had a full comparative month of sales…
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