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Apple starts 2015 as the top U.S. smartphone maker, Android as the top smartphone OS

Apple iPhone 6 iPhone 6 Plus
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Whether the Apple Watch flourishes or flops, the most valuable brand in the world can rest assured of this: It’s still the undisputed top smartphone maker in the U.S. A recent report from digital analytics firm comScore reveals that of the 184 million Americans owning a smartphone, more than 4 in 10 use an iPhone.

During the three months ending January 2015, Apple sat atop the smartphone original equipment manufacturer (OEM) hill with 41.3 percent of the U.S. market, which is down 0.6 percentage points from its 41.9 percent mark during the three months ending October 2014.

Samsung came in second place with 29.3 percent of the market, unchanged from its share in the previous period. LG was third with 8.0 percent of the U.S. smartphone market, up 0.6 percentage points from its 7.4 percent share in the previous period. Motorola followed with an unchanged 5.2 percent of the market, while HTC saw its share dip to 3.8 percent.

When it came to smartphone operating systems, Google’s Android finished the three months ending January 2015 with 53.2 percent of the U.S. market, up 0.9 percentage points from its 52.3 percent of the market the previous period, according to comScore.

Apple’s iOS was second with 41.3 percent of the market, down 0.6 percentage points from its 41.9 percent share in the previous period. Microsoft’s Windows Phone (3.6 percent), BlackBerry’s OS (1.8 percent) and Symbian (0.1 percent) rounded out the top five.

The report from comScore also ranked the top 15 smartphone apps in January, and Facebook came out on top with a reach of 69.7 percent of the U.S. app audience (Android and iOS). YouTube (54.5 percent), Google Play (51.8 percent), Google Search (51.5 percent) and Facebook Messenger (47.4 percent) occupied the top five spots.

With Apple set to officially launch the Apple Watch on Monday, market-share data for smartwatches may get more attention than smartphone-related figures in the coming months.

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Jason Hahn
Jason Hahn is a part-time freelance writer based in New Jersey. He earned his master's degree in journalism at Northwestern…
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