Nielsen: Google Android is leading the smartphone pack
by Steven Mostyn - Feb 2 2011, 13:02
Still on the up. Image: Google.
Given that Google’s open-source Android operating system (OS) seems to be on every new smartphone these days, it’s perhaps no great surprise to note the software’s continuing rise via Nielsen’s latest market report.
Stretching from July 2010 to December 2010, Nielsen’s publication claims Android secured a 43 percent share of smartphone shipments in the United States during that period, while Apple’s iOS took 26 percent and Research In Motion’s BlackBerry platform held 20 percent.
In terms of total share in the U.S., Nielsen’s report shows that all three of the aforementioned industry heavyweights are tied for smartphone supremacy, with each accounting for around 27 percent of the market (allowing for fluctuations and errors).
And Nielsen isn’t alone in charting the ongoing rise of Android. For example, market analyst Canalys recently published a Q4 report showing Android to be the leading smartphone OS across North America, Asia Pacific, EMEA and Latin America.
According to Canalys, 101.2 million smartphones were shipped in those markets during 2010’s final quarter, with 33.3 million of that figure attributed to Google’s operating system.
Meanwhile, 31 million smartphones carried Nokia’s Symbian platform, Apple’s iOS shifted 16.2 million iPhone handsets, and Research In Motion’s BlackBerry OS helped ship 14.6 million units.
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