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Almost Half of U.S. Smartphones Running Android

 & Chloe Albanesius Executive Editor, News

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Google's Android operating system edged ever closer to 50 percent market share in the U.S. in the past three months, capturing 48.6 percent of the market by the end of January.

That's a 2.3 percent jump from October, according to Tuesday data from comScore. The release of the iPhone 4S, meanwhile, helped boost Apple's iOS market share by 1.4 percent to 29.5 percent of the U.S. market.

Research in Motion, however, took a 2 percent dip to 15.2 percent, followed by Microsoft's Windows Phone, which dropped 1 percent to 4.4 percent, and Symbian, which sagged just 0.1 percent to 1.5 percent.

The boost for Android and iOS came as the number of smartphone subscribers in the U.S. jumped passed 100 million in January, up 13 percent from October.

In terms of handset makers, Samsung remained number one with 25.4 percent of the market, though that was a very slight 0.1 percent drop from October. LG and Motorola rounded out the top three with 19.7 percent and 13.2 percent of the market, respectively.

Apple, which came in at number four, was the only handset maker to pick up market share among OEMs, jumping 2 percent to 12.8 percent of the U.S. market. That shouldn't come as a complete surprise since Apple shipped an astounding 37 million iPhones during the fourth quarter, thanks in large part to the October release of the iPhone 4S.

Chart: U.S. Smartphone Platform Share Jan-2012Description: The number of U.S. smartphone subscribers surpassed the 100-million mark in January, up 13 percent since October to 101.3 million subscribers. Google Android ranked as the top smartphone platform with 48.6 percent market share (up 2.3 percentage points) followed by Apple with 29.5 percent market share (up 1.4 percentage points). RIM ranked third with 15.2 percent share, followed by Microsoft (4.4 percent) and Symbian (1.5 percent).Source : comScore MobiLens, Subscribers Age: 13+, 3 Mo. Avg. Ending Jan-2012Tags: smartphoneAuthor: comScore, Inc.charts powered by iCharts

About Our Expert

Chloe Albanesius

Chloe Albanesius

Executive Editor, News

My Experience

I started out covering tech policy in DC for The National Journal, where my beat included state-level tech news and all the congressional hearings and FCC meetings I could handle. I later covered Wall Street trading tech before switching gears to consumer tech. I now lead PCMag's news coverage.

My Areas of Expertise

Getting my start in DC means I still have a soft spot for tech policy; Congressional hearings can sometimes be as entertaining as a Bravo reality show, for better or worse. But PCMag is all about the technology we use every day, as well as keeping an eye out for the trends that will shape the industry in the years ahead (or flop on arrival). I've covered the rise of social media, the iOS vs. Android wars, the cord-cutting revolution that's now left us with hefty streaming bills, and the effort to stuff artificial intelligence into every product you could imagine. This job has taken me to CES in Vegas (one too many times), IFA in Berlin, and MWC in Barcelona. I also drove a Tesla 1,000 miles out west as part of our Best Mobile Networks project. Of late, my focus is on our hard-working team of reporters at PCMag, guiding and editing their robust coverage.

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