Android OS sees significant growth in handset market

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Janet Lee
By Janet Lee

January 20, 2010

Android is quickly catching up to iPhone to become a mobile platform to be recognized, according to data from ChangeWave Research.

The majority of growth was seen between September and December 2009. Android-based phone purchases jumped from 6% to 21%, which the much-hyped launch of Motorola’s Droid undoubtedly was a big reason for the surge. Thus, Google’s operating system was able to overtake Blackberry in the handset market.

Although iPhone remains the top choice for handsets at 28% of the market, they did see a 4% drop between September and December 2009.

Meanwhile, overall smartphone usage continues to see a steady rise, with 42% of US consumers by December 2009. Data shows that over the past 3 years, usage of smartphones has increased 27%. Additionally, roughly 13% of respondents in the study were planning to buy smartphone over the next 90 days.

According to ChangeWave, iPhone owners were most satisfied with their handsets followed closely by Android-based phones. Satisfaction rates drop significantly with other smartphones. Another common trait the iPhone and Android users have is that they share similar mobile content habits.

Written By: Sam Kim
Information Provided By: eMarketer