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iPhone 5s ... continual growth in UAE market.

iPhone 5s continues to dominate UAE market

ABU DHABI, March 1, 2015

The iPhone 5s was the most commonly used smartphone in the UAE during the fourth quarter of 2014, comprising 4 per cent of the total handsets while marking a 9 per cent growth over the previous quarter, according to latest figures.

The iPhone 5s usage increased by 22 per cent during the second quarter (Q2) of 2014 and 6 per cent in Q3 2014, as revealed by the UAE’s General Authority for Regulating the Telecommunications Sector (TRA).

The report has revealed statistics for the fourth quarter of 2014 on the nation’s most popular mobile phone handsets, social networking platforms and applications websites.

The iPhone 5 was the second most popular smartphone with 2.4 per cent of the market share.  The iPhone 5 reversed its upward trend during the fourth quarter.

The third most commonly used smartphone was the Samsung S III (2.1 per cent), followed by the newly released handset, iPhone 6 (1.7 per cent), iPhone 4S (1.6 per cent), Samsung S4 LTE (1.5 per cent), Samsung Note 3 (1.3 per cent); and Samsung S5 (1 per cent).

Commenting on the review, Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, director general of the TRA said: “The report illustrates a number of interesting trends emerging in the UAE’s mobile handset market. It also demonstrates the dynamic nature of consumer patterns in relation to handset choices.”

In relation to smartphones, the iPhone 5s recorded an increased in market share during the third quarter of 2014 and continued to be the most commonly used handset in the UAE in Q4-2014.

During Q4-2014, other smartphone handsets that witnessed increases in market share include the iPhone 6, Samsung Note 3, and Samsung S5.

Handsets whose market shares have declined include, Samsung S III, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, and Samsung S4 LTE. Blackberry handsets disappeared in Q4 2014 from being within the 15 most commonly used smartphone handsets in the UAE.

The report indicates that 40 per cent of all handsets registered on UAE networks were manufactured by Nokia, although this figure has been declining over time; the percentage decreased by 5 per cent during the last two quarters and by about 12 per cent during Q4-2014 alone.

This was followed by Samsung (24.3 per cent), Apple (11.4 per cent), BlackBerry (5 per cent), Sony (1.2 per cent), HTC (1.2 per cent), then the newly emerged manufacturer Lenovo (1.2 per cent) and Huawei (0.9 per cent).

Although the growth has declined, Samsung recorded increases in its market shares in Q4 2014. In fact, all handset manufactures witnessed increases in their market shares with the exception of Blackberry.

In terms of specific handset models (including handsets that are not smartphones), the iPhone 5s was the most popular mobile handset in the UAE in Q4.

The Nokia 105/1050 (3 per cent) was the second most popular handset followed by the iPhone 5 (2.4 per cent), Nokia 101/1010 (2.3 per cent), Nokia 1280/1282 (2.1  per cent), the Samsung S III (2.1 per cent), Nokia E5 (1.9 per cent), iPhone 6 (1.7 per cent), iPhone 4S (1.6 per cent), Nokia X1 (1.5 per cent), and Samsung S4 LTE (1.5 per cent), Samsung Note 3 (1.4 per cent), iPhone 4 (1.2 per cent), Samsung S5 LTE (1 per cent); and Samsung S4 (0.8 per cent).

Without exception, all market share of all feature phones including the 105/1050, Nokia 101/1010, Nokia X1, E5, and 1280/1282 declined during Q3 2014 and continued to decline in Q4 2014.

The report also provides information on the most popular mobile operating systems used in the UAE.  Android was the most commonly used operating system in the UAE as of Q4-2014, while the use of Symbian has been declining over time.  The market share of iOS is steadily increasing while the market share of RIM (the operating system for Blackberry) is progressively declining.

According to the report, during the period between 1 August 2014 and 31 December 2014, 61 per cent of handsets registered on the UAE’s networks were smartphones, a figure that has been constantly increasing overtime.

During this period, users of smartphones and fixed Internet services in the UAE visited various applications websites.  Apple iTunes was by far the most commonly visited applications website, followed by Samsung Apps, Nokia OVI, Android Applications and finally Blackberry App World.

The number of visits to BlackBerry and Nokia applications websites has been declining over time while the volume of visits to Apple iTunes and Samsung has been progressively increasing.

In terms of social media, UAE smartphone and fixed Internet users made a total of 16 billion visits to social networking websites during the period August 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014. Visits to Facebook accounted for 91 per cent of total visits to social networking sites, followed by Twitter with 6.6 per cent of visits, then LinkedIn, Maktoob and MySpace. – TradeArabia News Service




Tags: UAE | Samsung | TRA | Smartphone | iPhone 5s |

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