The Android
mobile operating system passed the Apple iPhone in terms of U.S. market share
during the first quarter, according to a report issued by the NPD Group.
According
to the study, the Android OS -- developed by Google Inc. -- ended the period
with a domestic market share of 28 percent. That's up from about 20 percent in
the December quarter, and is due mostly to strong sales of handsets such as the
Droid and Droid Eris at Verizon Wireless, according to the report.
The iPhone
from Apple Inc. saw its U.S. share remain relatively flat at 21 percent. The
leader in the U.S. remains Research In Motion, whose BlackBerry family of
"smart phone" devices has about 36 percent of the market, according
to NPD data.
"Verizon
is putting considerable effort behind promoting Android to its customers,"
said NPD analyst Ross Rubin of the latest report.
A big part
of the boost for the Android platform came from the launch of the Droid handset
from Motorola in late 2009. The device racked up strong sales and helped the
platform's market share surge from below 5 percent in the third quarter to end
the year around 20 percent, according to NPD data.
Rubin said
much of the growth for Android is likely attributable to the fact that --
before the launch of the Droid -- Verizon customers had few alternatives to the
iPhone at AT&T.
"Prior
to launch of Droid, there had not been a lot of modern, touch-optimized smart
phones available at Verizon," Rubin said, who added that the majority of
smart-phone sales at a carrier typically come from customers who are already
signed up to that carrier.
Verizon is
expected to put heavy promotion behind the latest Android device -- the Droid
Incredible from HTC -- for the next several months.
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