TORONTO – BlackBerry held on to top spot in the battle of the smart phone brands in Canada, while Apple dominates the tablet market, as does Kobo for eReaders, according to new research from Ipsos Reid.
The most recent version of the company’s Mobil-ology study of the mobile market in Canada examined each category and compared market share over the six month period between August 2011 and January 2012.
During that time, smart phone ownership grew by 13%, tablets by 66%, and eReaders by 43%. In absolute terms, market penetration of smart phones grew from 24% of Canadians stating they owned one in August 2011 to 34% in January. For tablets, 3% of Canadians said they owned such a device last August and 10% said they owned one in January, while in the eReader segment, 4% of Canadians said they owned one in August 2011 with 10% making that claim five months later.
While BlackBerry and Apple remain the leading smart phone brands, much has changed in the 12 months between the January 2011 wave and the January 2012 wave of the study. BlackBerry’s market penetration shrank from 41% to 33%, while Apple grew from 23% to 28%, and brands using the Android platform grew from approximately 26% to 31%.
On the tablet side of the equation, the category was virtually owned by Apple and its iPad one year ago, claiming 78% of the market in January 2011. Speeding forward to 2012 and the entrance of new competitors such as the Samsung Galaxy and BlackBerry PlayBook, Apple has seen its share slip to 47%.
The study also reveals that as eReaders grow in popularity, the Kobo has emerged as the runaway brand winner. Twelve months earlier, the Sony eReader, the Kobo, and Amazon’s Kindle were virtually tied for market penetration at 28%, 27% and 25%, respectively. But by January 2012, the Kobo is far out in front with 46% penetration, the Kindle slipped one point to 24%, and Sony’s eReader dropped to a distant third at 18%.
