With what seems like a huge piece of the market, Android is taking 39 percent with their mobile operating system according to a new report by Nielson. Apple is right behind Android with 28 percent with BlackBerry tailing them both with a small 20 percent of the market share. Microsoft, HP and Nokia rounded out the bottom portion of that report with a combined 13 percent. On the other side of the smartphone business, Apple is leading the way as the top device maker. Apple, being the only maker of a smartphone running iOS, takes the top spot in that category.
There are plenty of devices to purchase when it comes to a smartphone, but only a couple are at the top and are most popular to consumers. HTC has the largest share of the market with 20 percent of handsets and RIM tied them up at 20 percent also.
HTC is most popular with consumers and have been putting out handsets on a regular basis via more than one network, giving customers from any network a choice. If customers have to change networks just to get a good phone, they aren’t very likely to do it and that is why you see HTC at the top. Even though RIM has 20 percent of their market, the company has seen its market share dropping recently.
Nokia and Microsoft have been partnered up now for some time and they are hoping that partnership will boost their numbers with the Windows Phone 7. Nokia is a large handset maker and if they can get handsets to consumers with Windows OS on them, that would bring their numbers up for sure. Devices running Windows and made by Nokia are expected to hit the shelves this year yet, most likely right around the holiday shopping season.
One company that is still on the list, but failing to make any head way is HP with their own WebOS. Right now HP is at the bottom with only 2 percent of the market share. Currently, Google does not make their own handsets that run Android, but you know that if they did, they might be pretty high on the list just based on fans of their products. It’s likely you will never see a Google manufactured handset running Android, but if the competition gets tough, companies are likely to do anything possible to stay out in front.
