Android Sales Surpass iPhone in United States

For the first time ever, the Google Android has outsold Apple iPhones to gain 27 percent share of American smartphone sales. Apple currently holds 23 percent of the market.

While the Android is nearly two years old, many argue that it has only recently become a competitor with the development of Android 2.1. Thus, much of its success is accredited to the tremendous growth commonly seen in the beginning of a product cycle.

The uptake of Android among handset-makers is another factor in such growth. Motorola’s Mobile Device division has swung from losses to profits on the back of Android, for example. And HTC — once primarily a Windows Mobile phone maker — embraced Android even as Microsoft’s mobile platform is undergoing a major facelift. The result? HTC revenues were up 66 percent in June from a year ago.

Surveys collected by the The Neilson Company indicated that while Android sales are impressive at the moment, Apple still has the most user loyalty in the market. 89 percent of current iPhone users want to purchase another iPhone as their next mobile device. In addition, while the Blackberry is the most common corporate choice, over half of its current users are looking to other brands when choosing their next phone.

Overall, however, the Android has seen an 866 percent increase in sales worldwide, and has managed to outshine the current king of global smartphone sales: Nokia.

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