iPhone and Windows Phone sales rise in Britain but Android falters

Rare poor quarter for Google operating system as Nokia Windows Phone 8 devices entice

Sales of iPhone and Windows Phone devices rose in Great Britain during the quarter ending in July 2013, while Android suffered a rare blip as sales of devices on the operating system fell.

Data from smartphone market trackers Kantar Worldpanel ComTech found that sales of iOS devices rose by 7.8 percent to 31.1 percent of the market, compared with same quarter in 2012. This was up slightly on the 30.5 percent market share enjoyed by Apple in June.

The growth is likely down to continued interest in cheaper iPhone 4 models that are being sold off by operators ahead of the expected unveiling of the new iPhone from Apple, which is likely to take place on 10 September.

By contrast, Android sales fell by 3.8 percent and BlackBerry dropped by 7.5 percent. While the drop off for BlackBerry is not surprising, Android has been dominating all markets in recent months, so the drop off is unexpected.

It appears Android was hurt not only by Apple's growth from its cheaper iPhone 4 device but also interest in Microsoft's Windows Phone platform, which saw sales in Great Britain rise by five percent over the same period.

The Windows Phone's strong performance was matched in the wider European market, with sales in the big five nations - Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Spain - rising by 3.3 percent to 8.2 percent of the market.

Strategic insight director at Kantar Dominic Sunnebo said the growth of Windows Phone was thanks to Nokia's lower-priced devices enticing first-time smartphone buyers.

"Windows Phone's success has been in convincing first-time smartphone buyers to choose one of its devices, with 42 percent of sales over the past year coming from existing feature phone owners," he said

"This is a much higher proportion than Android and iOS. The Lumia 520 is hitting a sweet spot, offering the price and quality that new smartphone buyers are looking for."

He also noted that Windows Phone has also managed to claim its first ever second-place spot in a worldwide market, with the operating system ahead of iOS in Mexico, where it commands a 12.5 percent market share.

This will be welcome news for Microsoft as it looks to build on its small gains in the mobile market where it faces a long haul if it is to truly match the market power enjoyed by Apple and Android devices.