Kantar data points to Apple's loss of market share

Apple, even having become the most valuable company in the world, still has to live with strong competitors in the smartphone market. According to Kantar data, Apple's share of the US market fell in the last quarter of the year compared to the same period last year.

According to Kantar, Apple went from 40.6% in 2016 to 32.9% this year. The numbers reveal that Apple lost space in the US market, but Kantar believes that the result may be associated with the iPhone X waiting for the market.

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"This decrease is significant and puts pressure on the iPhone X to improve the numbers. Considering the thorough overhaul that the iPhone X offers, consumers can delay their purchase decisions until they can test the iPhone X and decide if the higher price compared to with iPhone 8, it's worth it for them," Kantar said in a statement.

Global Business Unit Director for Kantar Worldpanel said that the iPhone 8/8 Plus could be the cause of Apple's underperformance for the year.

"It was somewhat inevitable that Apple would see its share drop as we had poor sales with the iPhone 8 compared to the iPhone 7," he said.

According to Kantar, the number of iPhone owners who are still waiting for a new model remains high (35%) compared to the same period last year (30%).

On the positive side, Apple had an improvement in the Chinese market, reaching 17,4%.