Nielsen: In U.S. Smartphone Market, Android is Top Operating System

[kjk]

http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/?p=28516

According to June data from Nielsen, Google’s Android operating system (OS) now claims the largest share of the U.S. consumer smartphone market with 39 percent. Apple’s iOS is in second place with 28 percent, while RIM Blackberry is down to 20 percent.

What is interesting to me is how smart HTC has been playing the mobile market. At the peak of the old Windows Mobile, they had 80% of the market. Now that the market has diversified, they have as well.

[RockdaMan]

This chart is only post-paid. There are a lot of prepaid Android and Blackberry devices out there.
This is only phones, and doesn't capture iOS' lead in the iPod touch and iPad categories.

[OtterBooks]

I suspect WP7 (or 7.5 etc) will start taking a bigger share within the next year.

[Marseille]

Originally Posted by OtterBooks

I suspect WP7 (or 7.5 etc) will start taking a bigger share within the next year.

I'm eager to see what happens when nokia gets back in the game. I never bought their smartphones, but I always liked that they experimented with form factors. I'm even less likely to buy WP7 from them, but maybe their influence will encourage everyone to try different things. My tilting slider (only nokia and HTC have one, to my knowledge) is now a form factor I refuse to do without, even though I wasn't super excited about the tilt when I bought it.

That said, I'm not as optimistic about nokia's influence as most of the projections I've seen are. Over the past 6 months, a lot of prognosticators have been strongly assuming WP7 would take all of the current and past nokia marketshare within a couple of years, as if by magic. I wouldn't doubt that if it were 2 years ago, but it's not. A lot has happened within the nokia brand and without. I wouldn't put a comeback past them, but I'm not putting money on it either.

[=X=]

Originally Posted by kjk

What is interesting to me is how smart HTC has been playing the mobile market. At the peak of the old Windows Mobile, they had 80% of the market. Now that the market has diversified, they have as well.

Part of what made HTC so attractive on Android was their skins. They did a lot to enhance the Android experience (functional and ascetics). Also their phones are very well designed. However things have changed and many of their enhancements have made it into Android or can be replicated from widgets. Skins are becoming less of a selling point and more of a deterrent. I'll be interested to see how HTC manages this coming year.

Originally Posted by kjk

I'm eager to see what happens when nokia gets back in the game.
<snip>
Over the past 6 months, a lot of prognosticators have been strongly assuming WP7 would take all of the current and past nokia marketshare within a couple of years, as if by magic. I wouldn't doubt that if it were 2 years ago, but it's not. A lot has happened within the nokia brand and without. I wouldn't put a comeback past them, but I'm not putting money on it either.

Not sure what happen to MS and why they are floundering, maybe they are content making more money of of android than WM7.

Jest aside this is one company that has the ability to really challenge Android and Apple. But the portable computing market is still small and you cannot discount HP nor RIM.

Originally Posted by David Marseilles

...My tilting slider (only nokia and HTC have one, to my knowledge) is now a form factor I refuse to do without...

Ha ha, I'm on the opposite of end of the spectrum, after having all my phones break due to movable parts hinges or buttons. I decided my next phone would have 0 moving parts. I finally compromised with my Galaxy Vibrant it only has two buttons (power and volume)

[RockdaMan]

Originally Posted by =X=

Not sure what happen to MS and why they are floundering, maybe they are content making more money of of android than WM7.

Jest aside this is one company that has the ability to really challenge Android and Apple. But the portable computing market is still small and you cannot discount HP nor RIM.

I think the big WM7 push will come from their traditional strength: businesses. Then from there it will trickle into the consumer world.

Apple and the manufacturers who use Android on their handsets are sucking up all the oxygen at the moment.

[=X=]

Originally Posted by RockdaMan

I think the big WM7 push will come from their traditional strength: businesses. Then from there it will trickle into the consumer world.

Quite possible, but if that is the case it won't be so easy, that area is owned by RIM and I don't think they are so ready to give it up.

=X=

[Marseille]

Originally Posted by =X=

Ha ha, I'm on the opposite of end of the spectrum, after having all my phones break due to movable parts hinges or buttons. I decided my next phone would have 0 moving parts. I finally compromised with my Galaxy Vibrant it only has two buttons (power and volume)

I've been trying to think of a way forward since HTC doesn't seem inclined to release a TP2 successor with Android, and your point is quite valid. If there were a nice traditional phone with a battery cover that covered the entire back, I'd be willing to use an attachment that replaced that cover. I won't do wireless and separate batteries, but if you could piggyback the keyboard on the device power and have a port to plug it into under the cover to minimize both cost and power drain, that would be a device I could use.

From the device maker's POV, they wouldn't need two separate device lines to grab QWERTY and non-QWERTY crowds. From a smart consumer perspective, if you break the accessory, snap the original battery cover back on and your phone is none the worse for wear. Replace the part, not the phone. To wit, you could offer multiple keyboard layouts on the same device and satisfy the entire QWERTY spectrum instead of just a fraction of them.

[boswd]

Originally Posted by =X=

Quite possible, but if that is the case it won't be so easy, that area is owned by RIM and I don't think they are so ready to give it up.

=X=

yeah that is rim's last stand. But I have to tell ya I've been playing around with some WP7's and it really does have the best UI out of all 4 of the major player's, iOS ,Android, RIM and Microsoft. WP7 just needs something to garner market attention and gain traction. Their commericials were fantastic the "Really" campaign but it's going to more than that. Though Android IMHO is still the funniest OS. Don't know if I could live without my multiple homescreens, my widgets and all sort of nook and crannies to explore for hidden or not so obvious features.