Apple has taken back its crown as leader of the US smartphone market, according to smartphone sales data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. iOS held a 48.1 per cent share of smartphone sales over the 12 weeks running up to the end of  October. By comparison, Androids share was 46.7 per cent – leaving just 5.2 per cent for the other OSs.

This spike in sales was, of course, driven by the release of the iPhone 5 at the end of September – with 62 per cent of its sales coming from existing Apple owners upgrading, rather than jumping ship from Android or another rival OS.

“The last time we saw iOS overtake Android in the US was when the iPhone 4S was released and Apple managed to retain its lead for three consecutive periods,” said Kantar Worldpanel global consumer insight director Dominic Sunnebo. “This time we predict that Apple will beat its previous high of 49.3 per cent, and achieve its highest ever share of the US smartphone market within the next two periods.”

Its a very different picture in Europe, however, where Android still holds the majority. Googles OS accounted for 73.9 per cent of smartphone sales in Germany, and 81.7 per cent in Spain. In Italy, meanwhile, strong sales of the Nokia Lumia 610 and 800 drove Windows market share up to 11.7 per cent – the highest across the continent.