During the 3-month average ending in December 2012 (Q4), 54% of US mobile subscribers owned a smartphone, according to the latest figures from comScore MobiLens. That represents a 19.2% rise from the 3-month average ending March 2012 (Q1 – 45.3%). During the year, smartphone penetration grew during every 3-month average save for the period ending in June, when it was flat.
Google and Apple consolidated their stranglehold as the leading platforms, finishing in the December 3-month period with a combined 89.7% share, from 81.7% share during the 3-months ending in March.
During that time, Google Android extended its lead, growing 2.4% points from 51% market share to 53.4%. Apple did even better, improving 5.6% points from 30.7% share to 36.3%. The obvious loser was Blackberry, which tumbled from 12.3% to 6.4%, while Microsoft (3.9% to 2.9%) and Symbian (1.4% to 0.9%) also lost ground.
In terms of smartphone manufacturers, Apple took the top ranking for the 3-month average ending December 2012, with 36.3% market share, followed by Samsung (21%) and HTC (10.2%).
About the Data: MobiLens data is derived from an intelligent online survey of a nationally representative sample of mobile subscribers age 13 and above. Data on mobile phone usage refers to a respondent’s primary mobile phone and does not include data related to a respondent’s secondary device.
