According to data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, Apple's iPhone has achieved its highest ever U.S. market share.
The 12 weeks ending November 25 saw Apple accounting for 53.3 percent of the U.S. smartphone market, which was spearheaded by sales of the iPhone 5. The figure represents an increase from 35.8 percent during the same period last year.
"Apple has reached a major milestone in the U.S. by passing the 50 percent share mark for the first time, with further gains expected to be made during December," said Dominic Sunnebo, Kantar's global consumer insight director.
During the same period, Android's U.S. market share decreased to 41.9 percent from 52.9 percent in 2011. It's a different outlook worldwide, though. Android accounted for 72.4 percent of the entire global smartphone market during 2012's quarter three.
Over the same 12-week period in Europe, Samsung, who was recently named the worldwide cell phone market leader, continued its top smartphone manufacturer with a 44.3 percent share across Europe's top five countries. Apple settled for second place with a 25.3 percent share the market, while HTC, Sony and Nokia trailed behind.
Android-powered smartphones enjoyed a 61 percent share of the European market in the same time frame, which is an increase from 51.8 percent for the same period a year ago.
Sales of Nokia's Windows phones, meanwhile, remained quiet in the U.S., Kantar added. "Over the past six months, just 28 percent of Nokia Lumia 800 sales have come from under 35's, compared with 42 percent of all smartphone sales," Sunnebo said. "With the Nokia Lumia 920 being one of the few handsets available on [mobile carrier] EE 4G, new tariffs may help to change this by attracting early adopters in the coming months."
