As per the latest reports from Comscore's (NASDAQ: SCOR) MobiLens and Mobile Metrix, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) continued to retain its position as the top original equipment maker (OEM) in the U.S. for the quarter ended Jan, 2014.
The report stated that Apple occupied 41.6% share of the OEM market followed by Samsung and LG with 26.7% and 6.9% share respectively. Apart from maintaining its leading position in the OEM market, Apple also managed to report a slight market share gain of 1.0% on a sequential basis.
According to the report, Google's (NASDAQ: GOOG) Android mobile operating system retained its leading position in the U.S. smartphone platform market while Apple's iOS happened to be the only platform to gain share in the quarter ended Jan, 2014. This share gain came at the expense of Android and Blackberry (NASDAQ: BBRY).
Comscore's report also declared that the U.S. smartphone market grew to 159.8 million subscribers in the last quarter, thus, recording a 7% rise sequentially.
According to data compiled by market research firm Euromonitor International, Apple is continuously increasing its share of the specialty electronics retail market in the U.S. as more established competitors such as RadioShack and Best Buy continue to report declines.
Apple's share of the U.S. specialty electronics retail market has grown from a meagre 3.8% in 2007 to 15% in 2013. Ironically, both RadioShack and Best Buy are trying to beef up their retail store sales by offering Apple's most selling products.
Apple's loyal customer base, international expansion and a solid cash position are expected to aid long-term growth. However, increasing competition from the likes of Google and Microsoft in most of its major product segments, higher operating expenses and increasing legal complexities are headwinds.
Currently, Apple has a Zacks Rank # 3 (Hold).
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