It had to happen, eventually. August 2012 became the first time since October 2011 that the iPhone 4S drops from its coveted number one spot on the US mobile phone sales charts. The usurper, none other than Samsung’s Galaxy S III.

According to this analyst who checks retail stock sales in the US, The Galaxy S III is top of the pile. “We believe this is the first month since the iPhone 4S launched in October 2011 that it was not the top-selling smartphone in the U.S. market.” What does this mean for the rest of the world though and can the US influence a global S III purchasing frenzy?

iPhone 4S sales have actually declined in certain developed markets such as the US and Europe. The reason? Apple’s lack of 4G LTE support has shifted demand to Nokia, Samsung and others. Also, Apple practically locks out its users from exploring the features of the phone. With an Android OS, there’s a far greater degree of freedom associated with each device. And as many say, we never really own an iPhone, we are simply renting it until the next model comes out.

The analyst ends one a sad note for Samsung. “However, our checks indicated strong consumer interest and likely demand for the iPhone 5, and we believe Apple will return to strong number one smartphone share in the U.S. post the iPhone 5 launch.” This is a given. On September 12, the Galaxy S III will fall once more to the might of the iPhone.