Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) has released data reflecting U.S. mobile market behaviour for the first quarter of 2019, which shows a nation dominated by just two mobile brands: Apple and Samsung.

Apple is chipping away at Samsung

CIRP research shows that Apple and Samsung shared the US smartphone market about equally in the March 2019 quarter, while Motorola has steadily taken share from LG.

Apple and Samsung led with 36% and 34% of the activations, respectively. LG and Motorola were in third and fourth place, with 11% and 10% of activations, respectively

Android currently has about twice the share of iOS, but accounted for the smallest share of mobile activations since 2018.

Duopolis

“For the past five years, Apple and Google have controlled virtually the entire operating system market,” said CIRP partner Josh Lowitz.

“Shares vary a bit based on product launches, but remain generally consistent with about two-thirds of new phone activations on the Android platform and about one-third on iOS.

“Apple hit a high of 40% three years ago, while Google’s high was 69% four years ago. Within those extremes, each has settled in with a relatively stable share, and neither seems to be able to do anything significant to change that.”

What’s interesting is that despite Apple’s decision to extend iPhone life spans in iOS 12, which supports devices back to iPhone 5SE, it still managed to increase its new device activations in the U.S., which effectively means it has secured consumer loyalty in the market.

[amazon_link asins=’3791383663′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’9to5ma-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’7de5b36a-099d-4ba7-90a3-d2e6fe9a64cc’]

It remains to be seen…

It remains to be seen if a consistent track record of delivering the world’s most consistently private, secure and capable non-fragmented mobile platform, supported by devices that offer extended ease-of-life, maintain value strongly, and ship with a proven promise of regular software updates will be prove to be a good enough offer for Apple to thrive in a deeply competitive mobile industry – or if Samsung’s offer to use early adopters as beta testers with its new foldable devices will place it at the front of mobile innovation.

*cough*

Please follow me on Twitter, or join me in the AppleHolic’s bar & grill and Apple Discussions groups on MeWe.