Android tops RIM in US smartphone market share, Apple's iPhone third
New market data released by comScore on Monday shows that Google Android was the largest mobile platform in the U.S. for the three-month period that concluded with January 2011. Android's growth of 7.7 percent over the previous quarter pushed the Google mobile operating system to 31.2 percent share, past RIM's 30.4 percent share.
RIM slid 5.4 percent while Apple saw its share of the U.S. market go up 0.1 percent, bringing it to 24.7 percent total domestic share. The market share statistics represent active mobile device subscribers, but the numbers apply to the period before Apple launched a CDMA variant of the iPhone 4 on Verizon in early February.
Apple and Google were the only mobile platforms to see quarter-over-quarter gains, as Microsoft's platform share of the U.S. market dipped 1.7 percent to 8 percent. Palm saw its presence slide 0.7 percent to 3.2 percent total.
In terms of hardware, the survey of 30,000 mobile subscribers found that Samsung was the top overall handset maker with a 24.9 percent share, representing 0.7 percent growth from the October 2010 quarter. Apple came in fifth among device makers, with its 7 percent share up 0.6 percent from the previous three-month frame.
In the January period, 234 million Americans ages 13 and older used mobile devices, and 65.8 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones. Smartphone use was up 8 percent from the preceding three-month period, comScore found.
Most mobile subscribers — 68.1 percent — said they used text messaging on their mobile device. Just 37 percent of mobile subscribers used a browser, 35.3 percent downloaded applications to their device, and 23.7 percent played games.
ComScore first reported in January that Google Android had surpassed the iPhone in total active U.S. subscribers for the first time. At the time, Google was still behind the market leader, RIM.
104 Comments
Sure, but it's a bit like saying Linux beat the iMac in terms of market share. Are we comparing hardware or platforms? Not disputing Android's success but it seems an odd comparison.
How could Apple be so stupid to not to give away their mobile OS for free to any and all beleaguered smartphone manufacturers that are looking to scrape their way back into the black? Why would they want to give up OS marketshare at the expense of making actual profits on their products? The fools… the business savvy fools!
Google's Android surpassed Research in Motion's BlackBerry to become the largest mobile platform at the start of 2011....
Wrong!
If it's just smartphone sales (and that's what the chart says), then it cannot by definition be a measurement of the size of the "platform." Even if it was, it's meaningless without including churn and obsolescence, which aren't included.
This is just another recent, dodgy, channel-oriented, inside-industry sales report masquerading as "platform numbers."
Sure, but it's a bit like saying Linux beat the iMac in terms of market share. Are we comparing hardware or platforms? Not disputing Android's success but it seems an odd comparison.
Similar to the PC market, OS X does not sell as many units as Windows, but they're up at the top when you compare hardware to hardware - Dell vs Apple vs Toshiba.
Another way to look at it would be by revenue. How much are consumers willing to spend on handsets? "Android" might sell two $99 handsets for every one $200 handset that Apple sells. That might even the numbers out. At the end of the day, revenue/profit is what powers everything. That would be another metric.
Wrong!
If it's just smartphone sales (and that's what the chart says), then it cannot by definition be a measurement of the size of the "platform." Even if it was, it's meaningless without including churn and obsolescence, which aren't included.
This is just another recent, dodgy, channel-oriented, inside-industry sales report masquerading as "platform numbers."
I?m surprised AI didn?t pick up on that. Where does iOS and others fit in that list when you account for its other mobile offerings?