Android based Smartphone sales have recently undergone significant accelerated growth, despite the Google developed OS being over two years old, and according to a recent Nielsen study, for the first time ever, outpaced iPhone sales over a rolling six month period.
The study demonstrates that as recent as Q4’09, Android OS only represented about 6% of all new Smartphone sales, but has jumped to its current 27% of all smartphone subscribers, surpassing Apple iPhone OS (23%) and Microsoft Windows Mobile (11%). The 1st place trophy still goes to RIM’s BlackBerry OS, which despite a steady decline, still represents 33% of all new smartphone sales.
The study also highlights the strength of brand loyalty. When Nielsen asked a pool of over 2000 individuals which smartphone they were likely to purchase next, 71% of Android owners said they would stay with their platform, a staggering 89% of iPhone owners would only purchase another iPhone, and only 42% of BlackBerry owners would consider buying another, with 50% considering either an iPhone or Android as their next phone.
Research in Motion unveiled the relatively unimpressive BlackBerry 6 OS just earlier this week. “New” features are ideas that seem to have been borrowed by phones that have had them now for years, such as two finger pinch to zoom browser functionality, universal search, and multiple browser tabs. In my opinion, this is going to have relatively little effect in what seems to be a trending pattern of declining sales and market share. I’m a die-hard fan of BlackBerry branded products, and have used everything from the iPhone to the Google Nexus and have not been happier than with my Blackberry Bold. But as a wave of new phones keep appearing before me, I can no longer let my fanboy status drive me into impracticality, where a world of faster and more powerful phones exist all around me. Apple and now Android, have proven to be worthy contenders in an extremely competitive market, where mobile users like myself, are becoming increasingly demanding of smartphone features and their selection of mobile applications.
The above research is the evidence of the growing demand for iphone and android app developers in the U.S.
