Cheap iPhone 4 leads to iOS popularity surge, analysts say

The cheaper iPhone 4 is Apple's best weapon against Android and other rival operating systems, new stats suggest.

Numbers from the fantasically-named Kantar Worldpanel ComTech say 30.5 per cent of British smart phones in the three months up to June were running iOS, up from 25.3 per cent in the same stretch last year.

That growth is down to the iPhone 4, the number crunchers reckon, saying that over a third of iPhone 4s purchased were snapped up by shoppers buying their first smart phone.

By comparison, just one in 10 iPhone 5 phones were snapped up by people who'd never owned a smart phone, the report says.

Kantar Worldpanel ComTech tracks thousands of Brits, who report every four weeks on whether they've changed their phone, tariff or network, to get an overall look at which phones, platforms and operating systems are winning in the smart phone war.

Apple is hotly tipped to reveal a cheaper iPhone this September, reportedly made from colourful plastic and possibly dubbed the iPhone 5C.

The panel's data offers evidence that a dirt-cheap iPhone could work in Apple's favour. Tim Cook said that Apple was caught off-guard by the popularity of the cut-price iPhone 4, which is still on sale three years after its debut.

Android ahead, BlackBerry bombs

iOS may have surged up to 30.5 per cent of the market, but that's nothing compared to Android, which lays claim to an estimated 58.2 per cent of the British smart phone market, creeping up from 57.2 per cent last year.

BB10 isn't helping BlackBerry meanwhile, which holds onto just 4.1 per cent of the smart phone pie, down from 10.6 per cent. Windows Phone is at 8.6 per cent, up from 4.5 per cent.

Which is your operating system of choice? Let me know your thoughts in the comments, or on our Facebook wall.