Kantar Worldpanel ComTech has released figures that show Apple's iPhone to have a strong share of the UK, US and Australian markets.

However, the iPhone's market share is slipping elsewhere in the world, particularly mainland Europe, according to a Reuters report.

"In Great Britain, the US and Australia, Apple's new iPhone continues to fly off the shelf in the run-up to Christmas. However, this trend is far from universal," said Dominic Sunnebo, global consumer insight director for Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.

Market share in the UK for the 12-week period ending 30 November was at 31 percent, the company reckons, up from 21 percent a year earlier. In the US the figure was 36 percent, up from 25 percent.

However, in France the iPhone's share slipped from 29 percent last year to 20 percent. In Germany, it was 27 percent last year but is now down to 22 percent. The company put the slide down to uncompetetive pricing when compared to many Android handsets.

Google's Android OS still holds the biggest chunk of the market, with shares between 46 and 61 percent in all markets, according to the data.

Macworld UK