Google's Android Platform Overtakes BlackBerry in U.S. Popularity
Google's (GOOG) smartphone platform, Android, has overtaken that of Research in Motion's (RIMM) BlackBerry as the most popular in the U.S., according to a ComScore report released Monday.
For the three-month period from November to January, Android's U.S.market share jumped to 31% from 24% in the previous three months, which ended in October, ComScore says. BlackBerry's share fell to 30% from 36% over the same time period, while Apple's (AAPL) share remained steady at 25%, according to the research firm.
While Android is not yet stealing market share from Apple, it appears to be gaining ground against the iPhone as more manufacturers begin incorporating Google's open-source platform into their phones. Last month, research firm iSuppli reported that Apple's global market share for mobile applications slipped to 83% last year from 93% a year earlier, while BlackBerry and Android apps revenue surged.
Meanwhile, Samsung maintained its position as the best-selling cell-phone brand in the country. In numbers that had changed little from October, 25% of the 234 million U.S. mobile subscribers used Samsung phones in the November-January quarter, while LG accounted for 21% of the phones and Motorola (MMI) made up 17%, ComScore says.
Overall, nearly 66 million Americans owned smartphones in January, up 8% from three months earlier.
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