Android vs BlackBerry vs iOS vs Symbian
vs Windows Phone in South Africa
Android vs BlackBerry vs iOS vs Symbian
vs Windows Phone in South Africa
Android vs BlackBerry vs iOS vs Symbian vs
Windows Phone in South Africa
BlackBerry-based and Symbian-based devices may still
dominate South Africa’s smartphone landscape, but
Android is outselling its competitors by a significant margin.
The total number of smartphones currently in use in
South Africa is pegged at just short of 16 million.
In January this year, the snapshot of the installed base
was as follows:
Smart phone installed base - South Africa
Deloitte Digital, January 2014
3%
Asha Touch
5%
Windows Phone
8%
iPhone
22%
Android
26%
Symbian S60:
36%
BlackBerry:
However, this is not the complete picture, as we are
dealing with legacy trends in South Africa. The picture
of current sales is quite different from the installedbase snapshot, with Android (dominated by Samsung)
taking nearly half of all smartphone sales and growing:
Monthly Smartphone sales - South Africa
48%
spikes of 10%
at launch of
new Handsett
Android
25%
declining
13%
growing
8%
growing
6%
Although Symbian remains an important platform
for app development in South Africa (due to its large
installed handset base), it is no longer available for sale
and will therefore naturally decline. However, this will
still take a good few years.
Research methodology
The statistics presented are based on aggregated
network numbers, sales figures from various sources,
panel research, as well as statistics and surveys that are
put together by the Deloitte Digital mobility team to
provide an accurate countrywide view.
Accurate figures and insights are vital in making critical
decisions for our clients across Africa and are never
what is insinuated by tech enthusiasts who tend to only
read US and European reports (where the iPhone and
Android are king).
Blackberry
Windows phone
Asha touch
iPhone
What does this mean to businesses in South Africa?
Without such insights into your market, it is impossible
to properly define your engagement strategy to
consumers and staff alike. In a “mobile-first” landscape,
we advise that you work with a trusted partner who
can guide you, advise you and develop, build, execute
and support all aspects of your consumer and internal
mobile and broader digital strategies.
Solutions that are currently in great demand by Deloitte
Digital clients include “humanised ERP” solutions,
consumer apps and the enablement of marketing
campaigns across multiple mobile channels, utilising
mobile technologies such as USSD and dumb-phone
interaction, through to smart-tablet application
development and dashboarding.
If you have any questions or require a more detailed
discussion relating to the content of this article, please
contact Tim Bishop of Deloitte Digital at tibishop@
deloitte.co.za.
Deloitte Digital has for over 10 years been the trusted
mobile advisory and execution partner to companies
globally. Visit our website to learn more.
www.deloittedigital.co.za
by Tim Bishop of Deloitte Digital
@TimBishopSA
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