Apple overtakes Samsung as top U.S. mobile phone maker

From CNET News.com: Apple was the top mobile phone maker in the U.S. for the first time ever last quarter, Strategy Analytics said today.

Following the iPhone 5's debut last September, Apple shipped an estimated 17.7 million phones in the U.S. in the fourth quarter to score a market share of 34 percent. Those numbers were a healthy rise from the same quarter in 2011 when Apple shipped 12.8 million phones and captured a 25 percent share.

The stats looked at all mobile phones, not just smartphones. Strategy Analytics executive director Neil Mawston attributed Apple's rise to its "popular ecosystem of iPhones and App Store, generous carrier subsidies, and extensive marketing around the new iPhone 5 model."

In second place, Samsung shipped 16.8 million mobile phones in the U.S. to win a 32 percent market share. Those numbers also showed a strong gain from the same quarter in 2011 but couldn't quite match those of the iPhone.

"This was a good performance from Samsung, as its market share rose 5 points from 27 percent a year earlier, but it was not enough to hold off a surging Apple," Mawston said in a statement. "Samsung had been the number one mobile phone vendor in the U.S. since 2008, and it will surely be keen to recapture that title in 2013 by launching improved new models such as the rumored Galaxy S4."

Though Apple had reason to cheer last quarter, Samsung was the top dog for 2012 as a whole in both shipments and market share. And Apple's latest surge was certainly buoyed by strong demand from holiday shoppers. So Samsung could easily take back the crown this quarter.

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