Apple and Samsung lead in Asia, except in Indonesia: Millennial Media

Overall in the region, Samsung drew an impression share of 32 per cent in 2012, up from 22 per cent in 2011, across all devices. But the iPhone was still the most popular mobile phone, accounting for 14 per cent of impressions.

 

Android-based tablets led with 50 per cent share in 2012, with Samsung the leading tablet manufacturer in that Android category. Apple's iOS was a close second among tablet OSs, with a 49 per cent impression share, making Apple the top tablet manufacturer for 2012. 

 

The report charts Samsung's rapid growth in the region. Last year the Korean manufacturer had nine phones on the top 20 mobile phone list, nearly double the five phones it had a year before. Samsung's strongest markets in the region include Hong Kong and Malaysia, where 10 of its phones made the top 20 list.

 

Indonesia remains the outlier and accounts for BlackBerry's position as the region's third largest device manufacturer. In that single market, BlackBerry actually grew its impression share to 28 per cent in 2012, compared with 24 per cent in 2011. On the top 20 list, nine devices were BlackBerrys. In comparison, BlackBerrys only garnered a six per cent impression share across Asia-Pacific. 

 

Nevertheless, even in Asia's BlackBerry bastion, Samsung succeeded in tripling its impression share to 25 per cent from an eight per cent share in 2011, and eight of its devices ranked on the top 20 mobile phone list, up from two devices the year before. 

 

Another change in the market is the rapid adoption of tablets, which grew 73 per cent year on year, garnering a 13 per cent impression share in 2012. 

 

Singapore meanwhile is Apple's strongest market in the region, with the iPad outselling Android tablets and garnering a 68 per cent impression share. The iPhone accounted for a 38 per cent impression share in Singapore, compared with the 19 per cent impression share Samsung gained from its nine top-ranked phones in the market. 

 

Globally, Apple and Samsung remain the top two manufacturers. However, Amazon—a virtual non-player in Asia-Pacific—debuted at 11 in the global top 15 manufacturers. In the Android tablet category, it's the second-largest player after Samsung, with 26 per cent impression share thanks to its popular Kindle Fire tablet. 

 

Taiwanese manufacturer Acer has also entered the top 15 manufacturer rankings for the first time, thanks to its line of Iconia tablets. 

 

In terms of apps favoured by the world, mobile games continued to lead, followed by music and entertainment and mobile social media. The top climbers were apps around productivity, which jumped from eighth in 2011 to fifth last year. me