ReadWriteWeb
We’ve known this was coming, but new research announced today from Canalys makes it official: Android is now the largest selling smart phone operating system in the U.S., with nearly 44 percent of the market, and it’s making inroads on Nokia around the world.
Sales of Android-based phones have grown more than 14 times between the third quarter in 2009 and the same period this year. The range of price points for Android-based phones has been particularly appealing to consumers, according to researchers.
I recommend reading the ReadWriteWeb article before tackling the study itself, because as ReadWriteWeb’s Sarah Perez points out, the headline of the research (“Apple takes the lead in the US smart phone market with a 26% share”) is misleading because it’s based on companies that ship their own hardware.
There are a lot of interesting items to chew on in the research: Apple is overtaking RIM internationally, and the international smart phone market grew by an amazing 95 percent in the past year.
This is a good reminder for news organizations not to place all their energy developing apps for Apple’s iOS platform; develop for Android as well or take a hard look at mobile-optimized sites.
> NPD: Android Surging, BlackBerry Falling, Apple Flat (All Things Digital)
