Latest Report Puts Google Android as Smartphone Leader

Google's Android has grown an amazing 886 percent year-to-year growth in sales since it's debut.

When Google’s Android mobile OS launched it was met with skepticism, pessimism, and doubt. Slowly but surely, Google recruited new hardware partners, launched new handsets, eventually reaching sales of 65,000 units a day — then 100,000. And Google maintained a relentless pace of OS releases — with such high profile updates as Android 1.5, 2.0, 2.1, and, most recently, 2.2 (Froyo).

Now market researcher Canalys claims that Google is now the top player in the U.S. smartphone market in terms of market share. According to Canalys’s extensive study, Google owns 34 percent of the market compared to Research in Motion’s 32 percent and Apple’s 21.7 percent.

Propelled by wildly successful handsets like HTC Hero (October 2009), Motorola Droid (November 2009), HTC Droid Incredible (April 2010), HTC EVO 4G (June 2010), and Motorola Droid X (July 2010), Google has dominated the market with an astounding sales growth of 886 percent.

Perhaps the only analogy to what Google is doing in the history of operating systems is Microsoft’s incredible conquest of the personal computer operating system market with Windows. Much like Windows, Google’s multi-hardware OEM, open approach, focused on providing customers with a broad array of choices, is crushing its more specialized competitors, like Apple (which ironically was similarly crushed by Microsoft in the PC OS market).

That’s not to say that Apple or RIM are posting financial losses. In fact, Apple grew 61 percent in sales year-to-year and RIM grew 41 percent. What is happening, though, is that they appear to be missing the growth opportunity that Android has found with its open, third-party hardware model.

Android’s success looks especially scary considering that it appears to just be getting warmed up. Android 3.0 “Gingerbread” should launch this holiday season with some pretty amazing new features. Motorola, HTC, and others are reportedly already cooking up new high end handsets to accompany the OS launch.

In terms of individual hardware OEMs, Nokia still is the dominant party, owning 38 percent of the market. Overall smartphone sales rose 64 percent on a year-to-year basis.

Showing 10 comments

frank d at 5:35pm 3rd August 2010 every carrier has android phones. verizon only has 4 or 5 android phones right now
Crotchety Dude at 1:42am 3rd August 2010 Mark, Just get over it man. The article is spot on and I'm neither an Android nor an iPhone user. It makes no difference what carrier has what percentage of the Android market share since each individual has to make the conscious choice to purchase an Android device. The vast majority of Vereizon's devices are non-android just like every other carrier. People are seeking out Android specifically or are impressed enough by it in the store that they buy them.
Robert Leigh at 1:33am 3rd August 2010 I have an iPod. Probably the only thing "Apple" I will ever own. I'm enjoying the "war" between the iPhone and the Droids and am fully aware that I will benefit from the fallout when I go buy my droid phone in a year or so.
Peter at 1:24am 3rd August 2010 Android has something like 50 companies contributing to the project. Apple better lose its AT&T exclusivity soon and come out with different style phones or Android will steamroll the Iphone as more and more android phones and options come to market.
Bystander at 1:21am 3rd August 2010 Good points Andres!
Andres at 1:06am 3rd August 2010 Mark, did you not consider the fact that Android is becoming popular WORLD WIDE? Nevermind the fact the Android is gaining steam in the U.S., but what's important to realize is that Android is gaining significant traction world-wide and that's what matters to me as a serious 22 year old developer just starting out. Oh and Android runs Flash which the world still uses Apple.
1. Drew Bakes at 1:41pm 9th August 2010 Andres, email me: postny@live.com. I have some development needs you may be able to fill for me. Thanks drew
Mark Brennan at 12:03am 3rd August 2010 You fail to mention that Verizon, the host network of the Android software, maintains the cuurent market share of wireless customers. I'd like to see you revisit this topic after Verizon picks up the iPhone. This article sounds like it was written by a developer that Apple rejected.
1. ioman at 1:22am 3rd August 2010 Check our Andres response to you below.
2. John Ehret at 10:21am 3rd August 2010 Verizon is not the "host network" for Android. Android is not tied to one particular carrier or manufacturer. The first Android phone was released on T-Mobile. It was called the G1, (or HTC Dream). Verizon has obviously done an excellent job marketing its Android phones to make you believe that.