Google Android Phones are outselling Apple iPhone so far in 2010, according to a new report of the US market by leading analyst group Nielsen.
Despite the fact that Apple seems to dominate the headlines with the recently-released iPhone 4, Nielsen's latest data shows that Google is so far winning the sales race this year.
Brand loyalty
Phones running Google's Android operating system made up 27 per cent of all smartphone sales in the first six months of this year, notably ahead of Apple, with the iPhone making up 23 per cent of sales.
"While the iPhone has been the headline grabber over the last few years in the smartphone market, Google's Android OS has shown the most significant expansion in market share among current subscribers," writes Nielsen on its blog.
Apple released the iPhone 4 on 24 June, although the initial launch month has been hampered by well-publicised technical problems with the mobile signal reception on the new device.
Meanwhile, new Google Android phones such as the Motorola Droid X and HTC Evo are quietly selling like hotcakes in the US.
The uptake is slightly lower in the UK and Europe, but Android is still proving a popular choice through the likes of the HTC Desire and Samsung Galaxy S.
RIM still leads the smartphone race in the US, with BlackBerries making up a third of all smartphones sold over the last six months.
Nielson's latest smarphone study shows that 13 per cent of US smartphone subscribers now have Android phones and 28 per cent have iPhones, with Apple's customers still remaining more loyal to the brand.
The study also shows that over a quarter of all phone owners in the US now have a smartphone, which has grown considerably from 16 per cent the same time last year.
But, and there is a big but, there are far more different Android handsets out in the market at the moment, compared to just a few models of the iPhone.
So while the majority is winning against the minority at the moment, it is still impressive that Apple's iPhone family is nearly holding its own against the entire Android spectrum.
Via Nielson
