NPD report: In the US, Android phones outsell the iPhone

According to market research from the NPD Group, in the US, sales of Android-based smartphones have, for the first time, overtaken Apple's iPhone sales. The NPD smartphone survey says that, while RIM's BlackBerry is still number one with 36% of sales in the first quarter of 2010, sales of smartphones using Google's Android platform now come in at 28%, solidly in second place, followed by Apple with 21%. Discussing the survey results, Ross Rubin, NPD executive director of industry analysis, said, “As in the past, carrier distribution and promotion have played a crucial role in determining smartphone market share,” adding that, “In order to compete with the iPhone, Verizon Wireless has expanded its buy-one-get-one offer beyond RIM devices to now include all of their smartphones.”

In the US the iPhone is exclusive to GSM carrier AT&T, while the four major carriers (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile) all sell Android handsets. CDMA carrier Verizon, for example, carries the Droid Eris (HTC Hero) as well as the popular Motorola Droid (also known in Europe as the Motorola Milestone) and ran several promotional campaigns for the devices. The average price of smartphones in the US, according to NPD, was $151 in the first quarter of 2010, up three per cent from the same period in 2009.

See also:

• Android Shakes Up U.S. Smartphone Market, press release from The NPD Group.
• Motorola releases Android 2.1 for UK Milestones, a report from The H.
• Google: Android 2.1 is catching up, a report from The H.
• Android running on an iPhone, a report from The H.

(crve)