Apple nicks US mobile market top spot from Samsung

Apple became the top mobile phone seller for the first time in the lucrative US market during the fourth quarter of 2012,according to a new report by Strategy Analytics.

Apple's share of the US mobile phone market, including feature phones and smartphones, jumped to 34 per cent from 26 per cent, while Samsung's share grew to 32.3 per cent from 31.8 per cent, the research firm said.

Mobile phone shipments rose 4 per cent to 52 million units in the US during Q4 of 2012.

Samsung had been the top mobile phone vendor in the US since 2008, the firm said. Indeed, for the full year, Samsung still held the crown for mobile phone sales. It had a 31.8 per cent share of the US market in 2012, against Apple's 26.2 per cent.

Apple investors have recently been anxious about the future growth prospects for the company amid intense competition from Samsung's cheaper phones, powered by Google's Android software, and signs the premium smartphone market may be close to saturation in developed markets.

Overall, mobile phone shipments rose 4 per cent to 52 million units in the US during Q4 of 2012, driven by strong demand for 4G smartphones and 3G feature phones.

But in all of 2012, US mobile phone shipments fell 11 per cent to 166.9 million, Strategy Analytics said.

Apple sold 17.7 million iPhones in the US in Q4, up 38 per cent from the previous year, driven by aggressive marketing of its new iPhone 5 and steep carrier subsidies, the firm said. Samsung shipped 16.8 million phones during the same period.

In the international arena, Samsung Electronics, with a range of handsets, has overtaken Apple as the world's top smartphone seller.