A surge in online interest in smartphone manufacturer HTC has likely been driven by the introduction of its EVO Android device, according to new data from Compete.
Interest in HTC Up, RIM Down
While no single Android device released by major smartphone OEMs such as HTC, Motorola and Samsung has been a breakout device, these and other Android-based smartphones have driven both sales and marketing buzz for the Android platform.
Compete recently isolated the share of interest in HTC, which released at least one Android device per month between February and July 2010, and RIM, which has not yet released an Android device, across the “Big Four” carrier sites of Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile.
In January and February 2010, HTC and RIM both held a 10% share of online interest across these sites. However, when HTC released its EVO Android device in March 2010, HTC’s share grew to 13% while RIM’s decreased to 8%.
In April 2010, HTC’s share of interest climbed even further to 19% while RIM remained at 8%. Since then, HTC has acquired 25% of the interest share, more than doubling its share since the beginning of the year. Meanwhile, RIM has lost 40% of its interest share, falling from 10% to 6%.
Sales popularity of HTC Android devices presumably helped its online buzz; three of the top four-selling smartphones in Q2 2010 were manufactured by HTC.
New Blackberry Device May Boost RIM
RIM, which has suffered a substantial decline in online interest while keeping its product assortment largely the same in the first half of 2010, will soon release a Blackberry-based device called the Torch.
Compete analysis indicates that a 13% decline of interest in traditional keyboard-based mobile devices from Q1 to Q2 2010 has hurt interest in RIM, which specializes in these devices. As Torch will be touchscreen-based, and interest in touchscreen-based devices jumped 11% between Q1 and Q2 2010, Compete says RIM may be able to recapture at least some of its share of online interest.
Android Shows Sales Growth
Recent data from The Nielsen Company indicates that sales of Android-based smartphones are rapidly growing. While Android only held 13% market share as of Q2 2010, this represents significant growth from 9% as recently as Q1 2010.
Android’s Q2 2010 performance was even more impressive among recent smartphone subscribers (those who have had their subscription six months or less). Android grew its market share from 17% in Q1 2010 to 27%, taking second place from iPhone, whose quarterly market share slipped from 27% to 23%.
