Apple and Android Dominate Smartphone Landscape in Q4 2011

By Ariel Jones

Google's Android and Apple's iOS combined to fuel 88.7% of all smartphones purchased by US consumers in the last three months of 2011, according to the most resent Nielsen Mobile Media Report. The research also states that smartphone penetration of the mobile market continues to grow.

Android was the preferred operating system for 51.7% of those who bought a smartphone in the last three months, followed closely by Apple's iPhone at 37%.

Notably, the launch of iPhone 4S in the fall contributed to a significant increase in Apple's smartphone purchase share. In October 2011, only 25.1% of survey respondents said they chose an iPhone, and 57% of new iPhone users in the most recent survey said they had purchased an iPhone 4S.

Blackberry sales accounted for 6% of recent smartphone purchases, followed by Microsoft's Windows Phone and Windows Mobile combining to make up 3.8%. Less than 1% of consumers chose Symbian or Palm's webOS.

The Nielsen report also stated that, as of 2011 Q4, 46% of US mobile customers had smartphones, and 60% of those who purchased a new device chose a smartphone over a feature phone.

Among all smartphone users, Android was running on 46.3% of those devices, and iOS was running on 30%. Blackberry was third at 14.9%, with Windows Mobile at 4.9%.