Smartphones have become the next battleground for the technology behemoths to seize pole position. Exciting times lie ahead with the rivalry between Apple’s iPhone/iPad and smartphones based on Google’s Android, while HP plots its next move with the newly acquired Palm’s WebOS, and incumbent leader RIM seeks to preserve its market share.
Google & Android vs Apple & iPhone
According to the NPD Group, smartphones sold during the first quarter of 2010 in the United States stands had the following OS (operating system). NPD’s sales data are based on large consumer surveys:
- 36% – Research in Motion’s Blackberry OS
- 28 % – Google’s Android OS
- 21% – Apple’s iPhone OS
However, although Android phones sold better than the iPhone during the quarter, Apple is still ahead in terms of market share. Based on tech tracking firm comScore, March data showed that 25% of smartphone users owned iPhones while only 10% had Android phones. But the latter had enjoyed a growth of some 40% since January.
Smartphones, which allow users to receive and send emails, surf the Web and run applications on large, colour screens, are increasingly replacing no-frills traditional cell phones. Apple has sold more than 51 million iPhones since its well-received launch in 2007, and the company states that there are more than 200,000 apps available for the iPhone.
In the US, the iPhone is only available exclusively on the AT&T wireless network. Google, on the other hand, has partnered with 12 hardware manufacturers to produce 34 Android-based smartphones, available from all major wireless networks such as AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint.
Tags: Android, Apple, Google, iPhone, mobile, OS, smartphone, US