Motorola, HTC, and BlackBerry were among the losers in the fourth quarter. January 16, 2014 7:30 AM PST The iPhone 5S. (Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET) Apple and Samsung Electronics tightened their stranglehold over the US market. Related stories Apple patent filing reveals digital wallet system Samsung officially unveils Galaxy Tab 3 Lite tablet Apple to refund millions for in-app purchases Wait, there's an app that teaches kids handwriting? Does ex-Apple exec Scott Forstall know he's the face of NY college? Smartphones from the top two manufacturers made up 68 percent of the US market, according to a recent study from NPD. Apple's iPhone franchise made the larger gain, rising to 42 percent in the fourth quarter, or seven percentage points higher than the year-earlier period. Samsung's share rose to 26 percent from 22 percent a year ago. The big two saw their shares gain even as many of its competitors slid back in the fourth quarter. BlackBerry, unsurprisingly, was the biggest loser, with its share down by nearly two thirds. Motorola and HTC were two other losers, with LG the only other top handset manufacturer to see some year-over-year gains. The share shift comes as smartphone penetration has increased to 60 percent from 52 percent in the year-earlier period, NPD said. In addition, data usage has grown to 6.6 gigabytes from 5.5 GB a year ago.
Motorola, HTC, and BlackBerry were among the losers in the fourth quarter.
The iPhone 5S.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)
Apple and Samsung Electronics tightened their stranglehold over the US market.
Related stories
- Apple patent filing reveals digital wallet system
- Samsung officially unveils Galaxy Tab 3 Lite tablet
- Apple to refund millions for in-app purchases
- Wait, there's an app that teaches kids handwriting?
- Does ex-Apple exec Scott Forstall know he's the face of NY college?
Smartphones from the top two manufacturers made up 68 percent of the US market, according to a recent study from NPD. Apple's iPhone franchise made the larger gain, rising to 42 percent in the fourth quarter, or seven percentage points higher than the year-earlier period. Samsung's share rose to 26 percent from 22 percent a year ago.
The big two saw their shares gain even as many of its competitors slid back in the fourth quarter. BlackBerry, unsurprisingly, was the biggest loser, with its share down by nearly two thirds. Motorola and HTC were two other losers, with LG the only other top handset manufacturer to see some year-over-year gains.
The share shift comes as smartphone penetration has increased to 60 percent from 52 percent in the year-earlier period, NPD said. In addition, data usage has grown to 6.6 gigabytes from 5.5 GB a year ago.
