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Appetite for Apple waning as Kiwis favour Samsung
Thu, 2nd May 2013
FYI, this story is more than a year old

Apple's manufacturer share has decreased in New Zealand for the first time, allowing industry rival Samsung to narrow the market gap.

Figures released today by mobile advertising network InMobi says between January and March this year, Apple's manufacturer share of impressions on the InMobi network dropped 2.4%, attributed to a decrease in iPhone impressions.

As a result, Samsung gained ground, experiencing a 4.4% increase in manufacturer share.

This news follows reports late last year around Apple's loss of market share to Samsung in other parts of the world, including Australia, where Apple fell 0.4% and Samsung gained 2.5% in Q3.

Thanks to Samsung's growth, Android's operator share also increased by 5.7%, bringing it closer to iOS than ever before.

Android is currently only 7.7% behind iOS, halving the 15.9% margin previously held last year.

“Android has come firing through this quarter, gaining on iOS following a great fourth quarter and Christmas sale period from Samsung which posted a record profit of $6.34 billion (AUD)," says Francisco Cordero, VP and GM, InMobi Australia and New Zealand.

"With the launch of Facebook Home, the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the imminent launch of the HTC1 Facebook phone, we believe that Android will maintain its momentum and may even start to edge out iOS next quarter."

Although Apple has been losing ground in the smartphone market, the iPad is still holding its own when it comes to tablets.

A growing appetite for using tablets in the home saw a 2% increase for the iPad, with mobile app impressions also up by 31% to 63% due to more apps being made available to Android users in the Google Play and Samsung Apps stores.

Are Kiwis favoring Samsung over Apple? Tell us your thoughts below