Apple Smartphone Market Share: Will Apple Gain More US Smartphone Market Share in 2013 over Samsung?

Apple Smartphone Market Share: With details of the Samsung Galaxy S4 being released last week, many are beginning to wonder what kind of an impact this will have on Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone sales in the United States. While there is no denying that the new device from Samsung has a lot to offer, many are not sold on the fact that this will bite into Apple’s US market share in 2013.

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In fact, Yankee Group feels that this could be the exact opposite. The research firm believes that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will actually take even more market share in 2013. This would put Samsung in a hole, even with the backing of its new smartphone.

For a better idea of how the Yankee Group perceives this battle shaping up, you have to take a closer look at some of the comments made by the firm’s VP of Research Carl Howe.

This alone will give you a better idea of Howe’s feelings on the new Samsung device:

“If Samsung were Apple, it would have named this design the Galaxy S IIIS. While Samsung updated the internals and the software, the S IV is just another iteration on the Galaxy design to be slightly bigger, faster and with a few new apps.”

In other words, he doesn’t feel that Samsung did enough to separate its new smartphone from past designs. With this in mind, he goes on to add that he expects the Galaxy S4 to be “an excellent flagship phone” for the company. That being said, he doesn’t believe it will help Samsung gain any ground on Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s US market share.

He added:

“According to Yankee Group’s 2013 US Consumer Survey, March, only about 15 percent of consumers intend to buy a Samsung phone within the next six months, while 40 percent intend to buy Apple iPhones within that period. That’s actually a slight decline from the December quarter. Further, Samsung isn’t generating the same kind of brand loyalty that Apple owners have; in that same survey, only 61 percent of Samsung owners intend to buy another Samsung as their next smartphone; that contrasts dramatically with 85 percent of Apple iPhone owners intending to buy another iPhone.”

If Samsung is unable to gain market share with its new Galaxy S4, it will be interesting to see how things play out in 2013. Is it possible that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will continue to pull away? Share your opinion in the comment section below.

Check back here for more updates on Apple Smartphone Market Share.

DISCLOSURE: I have no positions in any stock mentioned.

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