TORONTO – BlackBerry still dominates the battle of the smart phone brands in Canada, while Apple is tops for tablets and Kobo for eReaders, according to new research from Ipsos Reid.
The most recent version of the company’s Mobil-ology Study of Smartphone, Tablet & eReader users in Canada examined each category and compared market share over the eight month period between January and August of 2011.
BlackBerry maintains close to 40% of the smart phone market (41% in January and 38% in August), while Apple captures one-quarter (23% in January to 25% in August), and a variety of other handset brands using the Android platform such as Samsung, LG, HTC, Motorola, and Sony continue to represent 27% of the market.
At the start of 2011, Apple dominated the tablet market with a 78% penetration of the market. Eight months later and after the introduction of a series of new competitors, including BlackBerry’s PlayBook, Apple remains on top, although their dominance slipped to 56% in August. BlackBerry emerged from 0% to 10% in those eight months and a series of other smaller newcomers have staked out very narrow slices of the market share pie at this point, the research continues.
On the eReader side of the mobile device market, three brands have emerged as the key players for Canadians. Indigo’s Kobo has grown its share from 29% in January to 36% in August, while Amazon’s Kindle held steady at 25%, and Sony’s eReader slipped a few points from 30% in January to 23% in August.
“In Canada, the Big Three brands remain BlackBerry for smart phones, Apple for tablets and Kobo for eReaders. But as the market continues to change with plateaus in smart phone sales, high adoption of the tablet and continued interest in eReaders, there is no doubt these brands will face new challenges and Canadians will welcome new choices”, said Ipsos Reid SVP Mary Beth Barbour, in the report’s press release. “BlackBerry’s current troubles and the recent passing of Apple’s Steve Jobs continue to keep these brands in the news, but the main challenge will be to stay fresh, remain relevant and peak the interest of buyers. And with Android and others gunning for their share of the pie, it will continue to be an exciting market to watch.”
