Apple's iOS has nearly caught up to Research in Motion's BlackBerry OS, with 28% U.S. market share to BlackBerry's 30%, according to third-quarter smartphone data released Monday by Nielsen. Apple's
share among smartphone platforms has remained roughly unchanged since the prior quarter while RIM's has slipped from 35%.
Android remains third with 19% share overall, but Nielsen recently
reported the Google platform had become the most popular smartphone OS among people buying devices in the last six months. Earlier today, NPD Group reported Android had the largest share of smartphones sold in the quarter, at 44%, while Apple
surged ahead of RIM for the second spot, 23% to 22%. A separate study from U.K.-based research firm Canalys found Android was installed on
44% of the 20 million U.S. smartphones shipped in the third quarter.
Nielsen also reported that Android users tend to skew younger, with 50% under 35, while RIM has the most users 45 and over.
Overall, 28% of U.S. mobile users overall owned a smartphone as of the third quarter, up from 25% in the second quarter. Among those who acquired a new cellphone in the past six months, 41% opted for
a smartphone over a standard feature phone, up from 35 percent last quarter. Read more here.
