iPhone 5 Release Date: HTC Sells More Handsets in the US Than Apple
HTC sold more smartphones in the United States than Apple in the third sales quarter of this year, according to research firm Canalys.
“However you count it, HTC has become a deserved leader in the US smart phone market,” said Chris Jones of Canalys to 9to5 Google. “This is an awesome achievement for HTC, which has built a premium brand in a highly competitive market in just a few short years.”
This finding is based on third-quarter shipment reports by three major smartphone makers including Apple, HTC and Samsung.
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Apple reportedly sold 17.07 million iPhones during a quarter where the company also experienced a 16 percent decline from the previous one.
Samsung outsold Apple by 10 million units worldwide.
In the U.S., HTC shipped 6.4 million smartphones while Apple only shipped 4.6 million in the country.
HTC was able to outsell Apple by offering something it did not have.
“It (HTC) now has a strong range of 4G Android products, with devices ranged by each of the major carriers, and offers some of the most compelling and differentiated products found on the platform today.”
The iPhone will not be 4G until the iPhone 5 launches in 2012, according to the latest reports.
But shipping is not everything, according to 9to5 Google.
“There is, however, a difference between selling and shipping,” wrote the site. “As for Samsung’s numbers, these could be called into question to a certain extent because the company stopped divulging smartphone and tablet sales back in June.”
Apple’s low sales can be attributed to the fact that iPhone users and those looking to purchase one for the first time were awaiting the release of the iPhone 4S in Oct, so sales on the previous models were low.
Apple can bounce back considering iPhone 4S sales will be factored into the fourth quarter reports.
