New Users Select Android Phones Over Blackberry RIM or Apple iPhone iOS

Once again, a new article from ReadWriteWeb gets me excited about where the Android OS platform it is heading.  The effect open platforms have on closed ones such as Apple iOS or Blackberry appears to be astronomical.  Their latest article illustrates that Android is the Most Popular Smartphone Operating System in the United States amongst New Users.  As the Android system becomes more popular, applications and mobile compatibility will become more feasible for those of us who own an Android phone such as the Droid, the Droid 2 or the Droid X, amongst other phones.

The climate from the Apple community appears vexing, as their contempt for a growing competitor begins to loom.  Don’t simply take my word for it, below are the graphs from the Nielsen Company depicting the selection of phones with certain operating systems over the last six months.  As you can see, the majority of users slowly grew to selecting the Android phone over the iPhone or Blackberry RIM.  This is even during the implementation of the brand new iPhone 4.

Only 14% of new users in January of 2010 decided to go with the Android phone.  For those of you who were paying attention around that time, the options for Android based hardware were extremely limited.  When the Droid became available, we see a significant jump in new users willing to go with the Android over the iPhone.

As with all statistical data, there are no absolutes.  What we do see here is a dramatic drop in the desire for Apple iOS amongst new users.  There is a definite draw towards the newer Google platform.  Will this trend stick?  Only time will tell, I can say with certainty many Apple iPhone users I have met were extremely impressed with the Droid X and disappointed with the antenna failures of the iPhone 4.

Craig Chamberlin