• by Aaron Baar , April 30, 2011

Thanks to a new carrier introduction, Apple has become the third-largest handset brand in the U.S., behind Samsung and LG.

According to sales data gathered by The NPD Group, Apple's iPhone sales reached 14% of the U.S. market in the first quarter of 2011, thanks in large part to the iPhone's introduction on the Verizon Wireless network. The move enabled Apple to outrank companies such as HTC, Motorola and RIM, according to NPD. Samsung remained the most popular handset brand at 23% market share, while LG was second with 18%.

"Apple and Verizon had a very successful launch of the iPhone 4, which allowed the iPhone to expand its market share that was previously held back by its prolonged carrier exclusivity with AT&T," said Ross Rubin, executive director of industry analysis at NPD, in a statement.

Apple's iPhone4 remained the top-selling mobile phone in the United States, followed by the iPhone 3GS (which AT&T began offering at steep discounts at around the time Verizon offered the iPhone), Motorola's Droid X and HTC's EVO 4G and Droid Incredible. Apple's resurgent popularity cut into the growth of Google's Android operating system as well.

While Android OS phones accounted for 50% of smartphone sales for the quarter, the number is down from 53% in the previous quarter. Apple's iOS rose 9% for the quarter to comprise 28% of the market, while RIM's BlackBerry OS fell 5% to 14% of the market. The first quarter of 2011 also marked the first time smartphone sales outpaced feature phones. According to NPD, 54% of the new mobile-phone handsets purchased in the U.S. were smartphones. And though the higher prices for smartphones drove up overall average selling prices up 2% over the previous quarter (to $102), average smartphone prices declined 3% (to $145) in that same time. Smartphone unit sales increased 8% in the first quarter, though overall handset sales declined 1%, according to NPD.