According to the latest Nieslen data, there are nearly 1.5 times as many Android users as iPhone owners in the US.
The research company has just released its latest report, which covers the month of July. It underlines a trend that we’ve been seeing for a while. Although the iPhone continues to be the best-selling phone, it is still only one phone.
Because of the flexibility of carriers and manufacturers, it’s unlikely the iPhone will ever dethrone its rival Google.
However, when you look back in the early days of the iPhone, when Steve Jobs said his goal was to capture 1% of the mobile market share, the iPhone is by all accounts an enormous success.
We are geared up for quite a battle over the next few months. It’s expected Apple will release the next iPhone on Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint, making it by far the biggest iPhone launch to date.
At about the same time, Samsung will be launching the Galaxy S II phone, also available on three networks at the same time – AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile. Samsung’s goal is to have the phone be noted as the best-selling Android handset, with the mindset that pushing it to multiple carriers will help catapult sales.
What is also important about the Nielsen report is that it found 40% of all cell phones in the US are now smartphones. While that means “feature phones” and basic handsets still cover a majority of the market, it’s clear that smartphones are on their way to becoming the majority option.
