It looks like Android phones have made a “kill” in the Smartphone market. This has effectively nosed down the iPhone in the top ten Smartphone ranking for the 2nd quarter ending. With Android phones sales gaining momentum each month since 2009, it might be possible that the Android phone’s reign over iPhone might not be just for this quarter.
A recent survey from the Nielsen Company shows that the Android phone has indeed surpassed iPhone sales during the 2nd quarter this year. In the US mobile phone market, Android phones got ahead by gaining a 27% share of the market, while iPhone only has 23% of the market share. In comparison to these Smartphone giants the RIM blackberry still holds the top spot with 33% market share.
Over the past six months, Android’s popularity has risen from six percent on the last quarter of 2009. Back then, Android phones were only peeking from under Windows Mobile’s not so distinct figures. From being third most popular last quarter, Windows mobile has gone down a notch with very disappointing figures set at eleven percent this quarter losing almost nine percent of the market share during the course of six months.
Some might argue that Apple’s figures might well change in the next quarter. This quarter, Apple was really set-up to lose since only a portion of the new iPhone 4 is reflected. After all iPhone 4 was just released almost at the end of June.
When it comes to loyalty though, iPhone still leads the way with ninety percent of its users pledging allegiance to its OS. Moreover, Android and Blackberry has seventy percent and forty-two percent loyalty ratings respectively. The same argument might be said about figures for iPhone 4 about it just being released a week shy of the end of the quarter. Recent publicity coups have had Apple scrambling to quiet down enraged clientele with the “grip of death” iPhone problem.
On a worldwide scale, a survey from Canalys has shown Android shipments hitting a rise of 886% second quarter this year. Androids market share during the first quarter was just around 2.8 percent, and that considerably grew to 17.1 percent in just three months. Nokia Symbian still leads worldwide shipments with a share of 43.5 percent and RIM Blackberry a far second with 18 percent. Apple’s share remains almost static at 13.7 percent. This effectively lets Android take the third spot from Apple’s iPhone
Canalys’ data also show that Android phones have taken almost 34% of the US market with 851% growth making Android phones the largest smart phone platform in the country. Asian sales also look hopeful for Android phones. According Canalys Senior Analyst, Ty Lau, there is an increasing demand for Android phones in China and Korea markets as more and more users are appreciating feature-packed smartphones. In China alone, an impressive number of 475, 000 units have been ordered during the second quarter. And to think that just a year ago not a single unit was present in the country.
The number’s race seem more important to the manufacturers than to the users. These numbers will feed the frenzy of excellence and creativity as one company tries to beat the other in convincing users that they have what you need. For now these figures are dancing to Android phones’ tune.
