New data from comScore is out, and unsurprisingly, Google
Of course, Google wasn't the only winner. Microsoft
Smartphone Platform |
November 2010 |
February 2011 |
Change |
---|---|---|---|
26.0% | 33.0% | 7.0 | |
Research In Motion |
33.5% | 28.9% | (4.6) |
Apple |
25.0% | 25.2% | 0.2 |
Microsoft | 9.0% | 7.7% | (1.3) |
Palm | 3.9% | 2.8% | (1.1) |
Source: Capital IQ, a division of Standard & Poor's.
Why single out Mr. Softy and Big Red? Microsoft gets a nod for winning the hearts and minds of developers. In a blog post, the company said that 36,000 coders had registered as Windows Phone 7 developers while its kit for creating mobile software had been downloaded 1.5 million times.
Both numbers are impressive given the relative youth of Windows Phone 7 as a platform, and they may be influenced by Nokia's
Verizon, meanwhile, deserves kudos for keeping Apple from losing more ground in the war for platform market share. The new iPhone was the "most acquired" handset in February, comScore reports. Apple handsets now serve 7.5% of U.S. mobile subscribers.
On the other hand, there's no sugarcoating Research In Motion's result. The BlackBerry OS lost 4.6 percentage points of smartphone share in February, while RIM's total handset share fell from 8.8% to 8.6% over the same period. Only Motorola Mobility
So it's Android on the march, while Mr. Softy marshals developers for its own assault on the market. Apple's defenses should hold so long as the iEmpire doesn't delay the release of the next iPhone for too long, but RIM, I fear, is only delaying the inevitable.
Do you agree? Disagree? Let us know what you think about the mobile war, Microsoft's strategy, and the rise of Android using the comments box below.
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