Handsets running Google's Android OS have surged past the BlackBerry and iPhone to become the best-selling smartphones in the US.
One in every three smartphones now sold in the US runs Android, giving Google's open-source mobile OS the lead in the booming smartphone market.
The 'Android army' of handsets from HTC, Motorola and more recently Samsung has catapulted the platform ahead of RIM and Apple based on sales figures from US market tracking firm NPD Group. accounting for 33 percent of all smartphones purchased from the
start of April through the end of June, according to the market tracking
firm.
NPD crunched the numbers based on the second quarter of this year, from April 1 through to the end of June 30,
although this means the fresh-baked iPhone 4 barely had time to make a dent in the figures as it was released only on June 24.
Apple will no doubt be hoping for a turnaround in Q3 once sales of the iPhone 4 are taken into account, while RIM will pin its hopes on the August 12 launch of the new BlackBerry 9800 Torch.
NPD says that Android-powered devices accounted for a clear 33 percent of all smartphones purchased in the US over the April-June period. BlackBerry handsets were a close second with 28 percent, which the iPhone scooped up a further 22 percent of smartphone sales.
However, despite the Q2 sales surge Android is still well behind the
total base of iPhones and BlackBerrys, both of which have been longer on the field and selling in far higher numbers until recent months.
Researchers at the Nielsen Company report that overall, the BlackBerry remains in number one spot with 35 percent of
the market as of June 30, ahead of the iPhone at 28 percent and Android at 13 percent.
"While the iPhone has been the headline grabber over the
last few years in the smartphone market, Google's Android (operating
system) has shown the most significant expansion in market share among
current subscribers" Nielsen said in a press release.