Months ago I was already talking about how the real mobile platform war was between Google Android and Apple iOS. This may have seemed cruel, or perhaps uneducated, because RIM was still the most popular operating system. But the fate declared by the stars – not to mention the market trends – was clear enough to read. RIM was plummeting earthward while Android and iOSwere skyrocketing. The prediction has now come to its full fruition, with iOS surpassing RIM. Google, however, maintains a secure lead.
In the first four months of 2011, RIM declined from 30.4% to 25.7% of smartphone subscribers. iOS, meanwhile, rose over one percent – from 24.7% to 26%. The most impressive growth belongs to Google, though, who saw a full 5% increase during the same time-frame (bringing them to 36.4%). Windows Phone 7, meanwhile, has managed to see drop in market share, dipping from their already low 8% to 6.7%. Palm is also declining, and currently rests at 2.4% market share. The figures include only smartphone operating systems and do not cover tablets (where iOS is still the clear leader).
The comScore study also looked at other smartphone-related data, including how typical users interact with their smartphone. The most common activity besides calling is sending text messages. Other smartphone-specific uses are rising, with 39% of users accessing a mobile browser, 37% downloading apps, and 26% playing games.
[via comScore]
