Android Leapfrogs iPhone OS
According to The NPD Group, Google’s Android mobile operating system overtook Apple’s iPhone OS in the first quarter of 2010.
Research In Motion (RIM) remained in first place with its BlackBerry OS, as it held onto 36 percent of the U.S. market for smart phone operating systems. Android was second with 28 percent, followed by the iPhone OS with 21 percent. The figures were based on the number of units sold to consumers in the first three months of the year.
As has been the case in the past, carriers played a big role in how the OS market settled in the first quarter.
“In order to compete with the iPhone, Verizon Wireless has expanded its buy-one-get-one offer beyond RIM devices to now include all of their smartphones,” said Ross Rubin, executive director of industry analysis for NPD.
Still, AT&T led the way with 32 percent of all smart phone sales in the U.S. during the first quarter, followed by Verizon Wireless with 30 percent, T-Mobile with 17 percent and Sprint with 15 percent.
As simple economics would have it, the bigger demand for messaging phones recently has pushed up prices. According to NPD, the average mobile phone sold for $88 in the first quarter, a 5 percent increase from the first quarter of 2009. However, smart phones were $151 in the first quarter, down 3 percent from the same time last year.
In terms of mobile original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), Samsung led the way in the U.S. with 21.9 percent of the market in March, according to comScore. This was a 0.7 point increase from 21.2 percent in December.
Motorola also had 21.9 percent of the market, which was down 1.6 points from December. LG was third with 21.8 percent, followed by RIM with 8.3 percent and Nokia with 8.3 percent, according to comScore.
Verizon was the top mobile operator in March, with 31.1 percent of the market, followed by AT&T (Cingular) with 25.2 percent, Sprint with 12.0 percent, T-Mobile with 12.0 percent and Tracfone with 5.1 percent.
In March, 63.7 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers used text messaging on their mobile devices, while 30.1 percent used their browsers, 28.6 percent used downloaded apps, 21.8 percent played games, 18.7 percent accessed social networking sites or blogs and 13.2 percent listened to music.
Sources:</strong
http://www.npd.com/press/releases/press_100510.html
