iPhone is top phone brand in US and China - CNET

Some of gloom stems from Tuesday's eaings report, in which Apple saw iPhone sales essentially flat from a year ago. That was the slowest growth since the company began selling the phones in 2007. Worse, Apple predicted total company revenue would slide next quarter and said that in the March period, iPhone sales are in for their first slump ever.

The smartphone market is seeing weakness bo out of saturation, a dearth of buzz-worthy innovations and tougher economic conditions in places like China. Apple is feeling that pain alongside competition from ambitious Android rivals. In other words, Apple's historic sales records are giving way to conces the company is starting to lose its mojo.

Kantar's report also offered some market share data for smartphone software that seems to substantiate that conce. Android-powered devices continue to gain ground.

In the US, Android's share of the market grew by 11.5 percent last quarter, while Apple's iOS -- which powers iPhones -- shrunk by 8.6 percent, according to Kantar. In Japan, Android's slice rose by 6.1 percent, while Apple's declined by the same amount. Throughout the European Five (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK), Android's share was up by 5.4 percent, while Apple's was down by 3.3 percent. Among the regions tracked by Kantar, only China delivered, with a 5.6 percent rise in the iPhone's market share.