According to the latest study from Kantar Worldpanel the UK smartphone market is growing at a rapid pace.

Now half of the British population (50.3%) own a smartphone and although Android is still at the top of the pecking order, Apple's iPhone is climbing rapidly. Compared to a year ago, Apple's handsets have gained 7% of the smartphone market share, now reaching to 29.1%.

In addition, the analysts pointed out that the iPhone's performance on the market is not due to one event, nor should it perceived as a temporary situation, just down to the impressive sales of the latest iPhone, AppleInsider reports.

When iPhone 4S was released last October, Apple managed to reach 43% of smartphone sales and now the frenzy has settled and Apple is still rising in consumer preference, viewed over the longer term.

Consumer Insight Director Dominic Sunnebo pointed out that Apple's strategy regarding older models was a reason for the rising trend. "The jump we saw in Apple's share last period was clearly not just a blip caused by the iPhone 4S release. Although the majority of growth is coming from the new handset, Apple's latest pricing structure is also working in its favour with no discernable drop in sales of older iPhone 4 and 3GS models," explained Sunnebo.