TORONTO – Move over Apple – there’s a new star in the Canadian mobile device market. Samsung has made significant gains in Canada’s smartphone and tablet device markets, according to the most recent wave of Ipsos Reid Mobil-ology, a syndicated study of the mobile market in Canada.
The report, released Tuesday, found that use of Samsung handsets now matches Apple, with one-third (33%) of Canadian smartphone owners using an Apple device and three in ten (29%) using a Samsung device.
Since the iPad’s release, Apple has lost some share to new entrants but presently is holding steady with just under half (44%) of tablet users opting for an iPad or iPad Mini, the report continues. In comparison, Samsung’s share is modest at 16%, however, trending results over time show consistent gains being made by Samsung, who have tripled their market share in just two years, increasing from a 5% share in August 2011.
“We’ve seen a strong surge from Samsung and its line of Galaxy products, which are giving Apple a run for the top spot in Canada’s mobile device market,” said Mary Beth Barbour, senior vice president with Ipsos Reid, in the report’s press release. “Apple remains the top brand in both the amartphone and the tablet market, but in both spaces, they appear to have plateaued. Samsung, however, is gaining and is closing the gap in the smartphone market.”
