In the first quarter of 2011, smartphone unit sales accounted for 54% of all mobile handsets purchased, with the Verizon iPhone making the biggest splash in the market. Apple is now the third-largest handset brand in the US behind Samsung and LG, NPD said in a statement.
“Apple and Verizon had a very successful launch of the iPhone 4, which allowed the iPhone to expand its market share that was previously held back by its prolonged carrier exclusivity with AT&T,” NPD executive director of industry analysis Ross Rubin said.
Rubin noted that Apple’s growth came at the expense of Google’s Android operating system. Despite Android phones accounting for half of all smartphones sold in the quarter, it fell from occupying 53% of the market in the last quarter of 2010. Apple, in comparison, comprises 28% of the market now, up nine percentage points.
“The rise of Apple and HTC show how companies can drive change in a mature device market to change the rules of the game,” Rubin said.
[via NPD]
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