Google's
(NASDAQ:GOOG) Android operating system may be facing lawsuits on multiple
fronts, but it's still the top draw in the U.S., according to comScore.
The research
firm estimates that 78.5 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones during the
three months ended in June 2011, up 8 percent from the preceding three-month
period.
Thanks to its
ubiquity across multiple carriers and hundreds of handsets, Android represented 40 percent of over 30,000 mobile phone users
surveyed by the researcher in June, an uptick from 38 percent through May. In
second place, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS maintained its 26.6 percent from comScore's last report.
The report
comes days after Canalys put Android at 48 percent market share worldwide,
with Apple iOS commanding 19 percent around the globe.
The Android
and iPhone will soon see another chapter in their always-interesting war when
Samsung launches its Galaxy S II handsets with Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZW),
AT&T (NYSE:T), and Sprint (NYSE:S) this summer. Samsung already sold more than 5 million of these new phones
in less than 90 days.
Apple is expected to follow in September or October with the
iPhone 5, featuring a speedier processor, new body design and, of
course, iOS 5. Canalys Vice President and Principal Analyst Chris Jones said
the iPhone 5 would help Apple fortify its strong position in the second half of
2011.
Research in
Motion's (NASDAQ:RIMM) Blackberry platform continued its fall, dropping to 23.4
percent from 24.7 percent in the last period. The phone maker hopes to get a boost later this month when it
launches new smartphones based on its Blackberry 7 OS platform.
The new
devices include updates of the BlackBerry Torch and Bold, along with the Torch
9850/9860, which only feature touch-screens. When it unveiled BlackBerry 7 OS
at Blackberry World in April, RIM claimed the device features faster
browsing, smoother navigation and voice-activated universal search, among other
features.
Still, media
and pundits remain unimpressed by these devices at a time when Android
smartphones and annual iPhone refreshes have set the bar for touch-screen-enabled
smartphones. Most people are waiting for the QNX OS-based superphones due in
early 2012.
Microsoft
Windows remained at 5.8 percent for the month, a sign the platform, even with
the new Windows Phone 7 platform, isn't yet gaining traction. Canalys estimated
that Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) shipped less than 1.5 million smartphones in Q2
for only a 1 percent global market share.
Microsoft believes that will change once smartphones
running its "Mango" update become available this fall.
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Enterprise Mobility News & Reviews 
