iPhone & BlackBerry Top OS, Android Moving Up, Says Nielsen

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The Nielsen Company reported that 29.7 percent
of U.S. mobile subscribers now own smartphones that run full operating
systems.  Apple's iPhone is still the most desired and preferred by women.

The most popular smartphones are the Apple iPhone and RIM Blackberry,
which are caught in a statistical dead heat with 27 percent of
smartphone market share in the U.S.  Twenty-two percent of smartphone
owners have the Android operating system.

When mobile users who planned to upgrade to a smartphone in the next
year were asked about their next phone, Apple's iOS and Android were
tied for "most desired" operating system.

  • Among users planning to get a new smartphone, current smartphone
    owners showed a preference for the Apple iPhone (35 percent), while 28
    percent of both smartphone and feature phone planned smartphone
    upgraders indicated they wanted a device with an Android operating
    system as their next mobile phone.
  • Feature phone owners planning to get a smartphone are less likely to
    have made up their mind about the OS they will choose.  25 percent were
    "not sure" what their next desired OS might be compared to 13 percent
    of smartphone owners.  Those over 55 were markedly less certain than
    younger mobile users, with 27.8 percent saying they weren't sure what kind of
    device they wanted next, compared to 12.2 percent of those age 18 to 24.
  • Apple's iPhone and devices with the Android operating system were
    the "most desired" among likely smartphone upgraders, with Apple
    showing a slight lead among those age 55+, 18 to 24, and 25 to 34.
  • Women planning to get a smartphone are more likely to want an
    iPhone as their next device, with slightly more males preferring
    Android.