Europeans are a conservative bunch when it comes to the form factor of their beloved iPhones, as most of those who purchase one of Apple's new handsets opt for the smaller model. In fact, iPhone 6 is so popular among consumers on the old continent that it outsells the iPhone 6 Plus phablet by a whopping five to one.
The difference in sales is to be expected, given that phablets are still somewhat part of a niche today, and the majority of those who buy iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus -- that would be existing iPhone users -- are more accustomed to less intimidating dimensions, like those of iPhone 6. However, Apple is right to jump on the phablet bandwagon, considering how big of a role such devices are expected to play in smartphone sales just a few years down the road, and the hit iPhone's market share is taking from Android handsets.
The finding about European's preference for smaller iPhone 6 over iPhone 6 Plus is part of a new report that was just issued by Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, which also reveals that the new iPhones are in very high demand in Europe. That shouldn't surprise anyone.
After all, first weekend sales were 10 million units, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have received rave reviews, their displays are finally larger as demanded by consumers, and Europe is home to some of the largest mature markets in the world, where quite a few folks can afford to purchase the pricey iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. It is a killer combo for strong iPhone sales.
"In Great Britain, where the new iPhone models started shipping on 19 September, Apple saw its sales share up by 1.7 percent compared with the same period last year, taking share of iOS to 31 percent", says Kantar Worldpanel ComTech Dominic Sunnebo. "Across the major European markets, where the new iPhone models were made available between the 19 and 26 September, initial sales of the new iPhone models have overwhelmingly been from existing iPhone owners (87 percent)". The report focuses on five European markets, namely France, Germany, Italy, Spain and UK.
In the quarter ending September 2014, in Europe, iPhones had a market share of 15.4 percent, only surpassed by Android handsets with 73.9 percent. Windows Phone came in third place, with 9.2 percent market share. Meanwhile, in US, iPhone's market share dropped, by three percentage points year-over-year, thanks to the success of smartphones like LG G3 and Motorola Moto X. However, the report still claims that "it is clear that demand for the iPhone 6 has been very healthy".