The NPD Group's assertion that Android was the top selling smartphone OS in the US in August 2010 made waves at the time, as it was the first time Google's platform had snatched the top spot from RIM.

Numbers for Q3 2010 suggest this was no-one off event, either, with NPD's stats claiming Android phones accounted for 44 percent of all sales across the quarter – up from 33 percent in Q2 2010.

In stark contrast, RIM's share of the pie continues to fall back, down from 28 percent to 22 percent.

As such, BlackBerry is now the third most popular platform in the US for new subscribers, with iOS sneaking into second spot with a 22 percent share.

Eating the BlackBerry

As summarised by NPD's executive director of industry analysis Ross Rubin, while Apple appears to be struggling to make any sort of impact on the rise of Google's OS, it's BlackBerry that is suffering the most from its ascent.

"Much of Android's quarterly share growth came at the expense of RIM, rather than Apple," Rubin states.

"The HTC, EVO 4G, Motorola Droid X, and other new high end Android devices have been gaining momentum at carriers that traditionally have been strong RIM distributors, and the recent introduction of the BlackBerry Torch has done little to stem the tide."

Three way fight

NPD numbers show Android sales since Q3 2009 have accounted for a 53 percent decline in share for RIM and a 21 percent drop for Apple.

"There has not been much share left to grab from the other operating systems," Rubin added.

"The iPhone has held its own at AT&T, but Apple faces challenges in further expanding its domestic market share, while still retaining exclusivity."

Nonetheless, iPhone remains the most popular single handset across the US according to NPD's figures, with RIM's BlackBerry Curve coming in second and Android handsets Droid X and EVO 4G taking fourth and fifth spots.

[source: PRWeb]