Android Pulls Ahead In Smartphone Race

There has been a lead-change in the ongoing battle for supremacy in the smartphone world, with Android pulling ahead of Research In Motion's (RIM) Blackberry, according to Nielsen Co.

However, the results may be open to interpretation.

"When it comes to consumer marketshare by operating system, Android (29%) appears to be pulling ahead of RIM Blackberry (27%) and Apple iOS (27%)," Nielsen said in a release. "But an analysis by manufacturer shows RIM and Apple to be the winners compared to other device makers since they are the only ones creating and selling smartphones with their respective operating systems. HTC follows with 12 percent of consumer smartphone owners having an

HTC Android device and 7 percent owning an HTC device running a Microsoft OS. Ten percent of consumer smartphone owners had a Motorola Android device and one percent owned a Motorola device running a Microsoft OS."

Advantage, Android

Android has an advantage, say industry analysts, because the operating system is used by so many different manufacturers. Apple's operating system, on the other hand, is only available on the iPhone.

Another thing going for Adroid's operating system is demographics. When you analyze who are buying Android phones, it tends to be those in the 18-24 age group, one of the largest groups of mobile device consumers.

Android's gain in marketshare is also impressive when measured against Nielson's Summer 2010. At the time, Android had only a 19 percent market penetration, which had grown to 25 percent in January.

It's also good news for Verizon Wireless, which offered a large number of Android phones, at a time when it couldn't offer Apple's iPhone. Ironically, now that Verizon is selling the iPhone, industry speculation has suggested lackluster iPhone sales. AT&T, meawhile, recently began offering more Android phones, perhaps compensating for the loss of iPhone exclusivity.

The battle shows no sign of letting up, especially considering the stakes. In the last six months, Neilson observes that 47 percent of consumers who purchased a mobile phone selected a smartphone over a feature phone, capable only of voice and text communication.