Looks like Android has overtaken iOS in USA

Hogzy

We knew Android phones were selling like gangbusters -- Google has been none too shy in telling us as much -- but numbers were slightly less clear in a larger context. Well, if a new report by Canalys is to be believed, those numbers are just fine in a larger context. Canalys claims that in Q2 Android was up a whopping 886 percent over last year's sales during this time period (remember, the original Droid didn't come out until November), and those wild sales put it at 34 percent of the US market, compared to RIM's 32 percent and Apple's 21.7 share. Of course, RIM has a big launch on the way, and we're not sure how much of the iPhone 4's heady run this report captures, so things could naturally look different for Q3. Also, it's worth noting that the breakdown of phones actually in use is of course dramatically different. Still, nobody is doing that bad: the smartphone market is up 64 percent year-over-year, and Apple and RIM grew 61 percent and 41 percent, respectively. Oh, and remember Nokia? Yeah, they're still beating the world with a 38 percent market share and 41 percent growth. Check out the press release after the break for all the percentages your heart could ever desire.

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evolutionqy7

well it has been for a while...iOS has been dropping for quite a long time now even with the iPhone 4 out "Breaking Records" their still on the fall

Jakmeehan

That's an unfair comparison.

How many smartphones run iOS? 4.

How many smartphones run Android? 65+

él statutorio

Jakmeehan wrote: »

That's an unfair comparison.

How many smartphones run iOS? 4.

How many smartphoens run Android? 65+

And who's fault is that? Apples. They could license the OS if they wanted to, just like Android, windows mobile and Symbian. Or they could put in a feature that nobody else has (like RIM and their mail with encryption etc). Instead they hype their products within an inch of their lives and release their product which from a hardware point of view is the same as everything else in the market. They had a very slick OS but everyone else has caught up.

muckwarrior

Jakmeehan wrote: »

That's an unfair comparison.

How many smartphones run iOS? 4.

How many smartphones run Android? 65+

I didn't hear anyone saying it was unfair when iOS overtook Windows Mobile.

Jakmeehan

muckwarrior wrote: »

I didn't hear anyone saying it was unfair when iOS overtook Windows Mobile.

Number of Windows Mobile Phones: 30+
Number of iOS phones when iOs overtook Windows Mobile: 2

I find that very impressive

BopNiblets

Apple had the user base (iPod) for the 1st iPhone though when it overtook WinMo.
I don't think Windows PC users count as a user base for Windows Mobile...

28064212

Jakmeehan wrote: »

That's an unfair comparison.

How many smartphones run iOS? 4.

How many smartphones run Android? 65+

And yet people point to desktop operating system stats all the time to compare Windows and OSX. Not forgetting Linux which can run on... well, everything, but still is way behind either.

While you argue iOS is at a disadvantage because they only have 4 phones, it could just as easily be argued that Android's install base is too large and suffers from fragmentation, as well as not having a clear 'leader'. Fact is, phones running Android have a huge share of the smartphone market, and phones running iOS have another huge share. They are directly comparable.

jimmycrackcorm

IMHO the key point where people prefer Android over Apple is with the widgets. I know people argue that the openess etc... is key but given that both platforms have many similar popular apps, the only key differentiator is that when someone looks at an iPhone and then and Android phone, what they see is the main screens showing all their key information in widgets.

I'm betting that apples next version moves from icons on the screen to widgets and then it's game on...

evolutionqy7

im sorry the widgets is not the only thing...tbh you would want less widgets ass possible or your battery life will be useless...

its the fact that you can completely change android theme

even though having widgets is much handier than opening an app or something...its just there

Goodshape

It's probably the syncing abilities for me, actually. No plugging-in and no blasted iTunes needed. Instead they have this new thing... "Internet", I think it's called. Smart stuff.

errlloyd

Part of it for me is about freedom. Why are apple so ****ing pushy, no I don't watch porn on my phone, still you can **** off if you're trying to tell me I can't watch porn on my phone.

Android is currently uniting phones, standardisation, why is this a good thing? Traditionally mobile phone providers like Nokia have really benefited from costumer loyalty. One of the reasons for customer loyalty was OS familiarity. I remember the first time I ditched a nokia for a moto it pissed me right off. Android is what now has the loyalty of its customers. Meaning the companies producing the phone have to compete on price, quality and customer support. And that is an objective good.

evolutionqy7

even so nokia has lost thousands of customers they are still the biggest player in the market...

tbh it would take ALOT of effort to overtake nokia

axer

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

IMHO the key point where people prefer Android over Apple is with the widgets. I know people argue that the openess etc... is key but given that both platforms have many similar popular apps, the only key differentiator is that when someone looks at an iPhone and then and Android phone, what they see is the main screens showing all their key information in widgets.

Its more than just widgets. I can change nearly everything on my Android (Desire) without having to break out of jail. A good example is how easy it is to change the keyboard to Swype etc.

Hogzy

axer wrote: »

Its more than just widgets. I can change nearly everything on my Android (Desire) without having to break out of jail. A good example is how easy it is to change the keyboard to Swype etc.

How do you do that?

jeromeof

errlloyd wrote: »

Part of it for me is about freedom. Why are apple so ****ing pushy, no I don't watch porn on my phone, still you can **** off if you're trying to tell me I can't watch porn on my phone.

Android is currently uniting phones, standardisation, why is this a good thing? Traditionally mobile phone providers like Nokia have really benefited from costumer loyalty. One of the reasons for customer loyalty was OS familiarity. I remember the first time I ditched a nokia for a moto it pissed me right off. Android is what now has the loyalty of its customers. Meaning the companies producing the phone have to compete on price, quality and customer support. And that is an objective good.

I wouldn't 100% agree that it is uniting phones. It will with version 3.0 if Google have there way (according to rumours no more custom manfacturer skins), but plain Android is a little boring at the moment so you have to either have HTC Sense, Samsung Touch Wiz UI (I think Motorola have MotoBlur etc). While these add that little bit of polish (and very nice Widgets), they do cause these Android experience to be that bit different. I used both a Samsung and a Desire (I liked the Sense UI better but the Galaxy was a nice phone) and they have very different experience because of these. I imagine this is what the manufacturers want (keeps HTC fans loyal to HTC rather than jump to a Samsung). If google do force all phones to look the same (as i believe Microsoft are going to do with Windows Phone 7), then we will have a united Android experience. Also, hopefully Google solve the problem with the different graphics chipsets as there is some tremendous potential with some of the graphics CPU's but developers have to target individual devices. Some level of standardisation would mean tremendous games which you can bring with you through different handsets (and manufacturers).

What is uniting the industry more is the WebKit browsers (iPhone and Android), these means that websites can actually provide usual websites across these high end smartphones using standards (i.e. HTML5)

Paparazzo

As Mr. Jobs said, the android phone is the porn phone. That sold it for me.

evolutionqy7

jeromeof wrote: »

If google do force all phones to look the same (as i believe Microsoft are going to do with Windows Phone 7), then we will have a united Android experience. Also, hopefully Google solve the problem with the different graphics chipsets as there is some tremendous potential with some of the graphics CPU's but developers have to target individual devices. Some level of standardisation would mean tremendous games which you can bring with you through different handsets (and manufacturers

the thing is why android and M$ is doing that is to eliminate incompatibility of apps between different handsets...android weak point is that certain apps wont work on certain phones...by making one standard this issue will be solved...

and the customization will depend how the OS will be strict with the core of the OS...im sure since HTC has its new sense version coming for WP7 customization unofficially will be available...since theres no real facts on gingerbread no one cant say about the unification