Smartphones stateside
Apple's iPhone has replaced RIM's BlackBerry as the most popular smartphone handset in the US, while Android is now the most widely used operating system in the world's largest smartphone market, two separate independent reports have confirmed.
According to a report by The NPD Group, continued sales of big profile Android handsets helped Google's OS to grow ‘significantly' in the US in Q3. It said 44 percent of all smartphones purchased in the US this quarter run Android, an 11 percent rise since Q2- a figure shared by research firm Canalys.
Meanwhile, Apple's iOS held steady rising one percent since last quarter to 23 percent seemingly at the expense of RIM's OS which fell from commanding a 28 percent share of the US market to 22 percent.
Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis for NPD, said: "The HTC EVO 4G, Motorola Droid X, and other new high-end Android devices have been gaining momentum at carriers that traditionally have been strong RIM distributors, and the recent introduction of the BlackBerry Torch has done little to stem the tide."
According to NPD's Mobile Phone Track, when OS unit share for the third quarter of 2010 is compared to Q3 of 2009, RIM's OS share plunged by 53 percent, while iOS declined by 21 percent.
Rubin said: "There has not been much share left to grab from the other operating systems. The iPhone has held its own at AT&T, but Apple faces challenges in further expanding its domestic market share, while still retaining exclusivity."
NPD said the top 5 smartphones purchased in the US in Q3 were:
1. Apple iPhone 4 (smartphone)
2. BlackBerry Curve 8500 series (smartphone)
3. LG Cosmos (messaging phone)
4. Motorola Droid X (smartphone)
5. HTC EVO 4G (smartphone)
Furthermore, here is a chart from Canalys of the OS share in the US in Q3.
