comScore: Android is crashing Apple's smartphone party
by Stevie Smith - Dec 18 2009, 07:25
Far from robotic. Image: Motorola.
U.S. public awareness and buyer intent associated with Android-equipped smartphones is most definitely on the up amongst tech-savvy consumers, to the point of challenging Apple’s iconic iPhone, according to digital market specialist comScore.
In its new report titled “Android: Crashing the Smartphone Party” comScore reveals that the increasingly popular open-source Android operating system is fast becoming much more recognisable in the mobile sector, thanks in part to Verizon’s significant advertising surrounding its acclaimed Motorola Droid handset.
“With handsets on multiple carriers, from multiple manufacturers, and numerous Android device models expected to be in the U.S. market by January, the Android platform is rapidly shaking up the smartphone market,” said Mark Donovan, senior vice president of mobile at comScore.
In terms of Android’s spreading saturation, comScore notes that around 17 percent of current U.S. buyers in the market for a new smartphone are considering the purchase of an Android-supported device over the next three months. This is a notable upturn compared to the 7 percent purchase consideration rate garnered by comScore when it posed the same question in August of 2009.
Similarly, the August study revealed that only 22 percent of mobile phone users had even heard of the Google-backed Android platform at the end of the summer, while November’s more recent results show that figure has now increased to a much more healthy 37 percent.
When viewing Android’s steadily expanding reach beside the ongoing traction enjoyed by the iPhone, around 20 percent of November’s prospective smartphone buyers said they were angling for Apple’s device in the next three months – a drop of 1 percent when compared to August’s report.
“While iPhone continues to set the bar with its App Store and passionate user base, and RIM [BlackBerry] remains the leader among the business set, Android is clearly gaining momentum among developers and consumers,” added Donovan.
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