Android bags #1 slot in the US, iPhone best selling smartphone

The rise of the robots continues unabated in the States, with new figures putting Google’s Android OS as the number one operating system for smartphones.

The research from mobile market watchers Canalys shows Android-based devices barging past Apple’s iOS and RIM’s BlackBerry OS to become America’s most popular platform for smartphones, with a hefty 43.6 per cent market share.

Android on the march

Fuelled by devices from the likes of HTC, Motorola, Samsung and Sony Ericsson, Android has also enjoyed an explosive growth worldwide, with sales soaring 1,309 per cent year-on-year, from 1.4 million in Q3 2009 to more than 20.0 million units in Q3 2010.

Canalys Senior Analyst Pete Cunningham commented on Android’s growth:

Android has been well received by the market and in some geographies it is becoming a sought-after consumer brand. It has rapidly become the platform to watch, and its growing volumes will help to entice developers, ensuring consumers have access to an increasingly rich and vibrant mobile content and application ecosystem.

Vendors are now delivering Android devices across a broad range of price points, from high-end products such as the Samsung Galaxy S or HTC Desire, to aggressively priced devices such as the LG GT540 Optimus or the Huawei built Vodafone 845, ensuring that Android devices are available and affordable to consumers on almost any budget.

iPhone the top smartphone in the US

Although Android may have bagged the top spot for operating systems, the prize for the most popular smartphone in the States goes to the Apple iPhone with its 26.2 per cent Q3 market share, ahead of RIM/Blackberry with 24.2 per cent.

Globally, Nokia still retain the top spot with a 33 per cent share, although its recent poor showing is reflected by a five point drop from the previous quarter.

[Canalys report]