comScore says Android at 33pc, iPhone up February

Android is continuing its rise upwards but has yet to take any share away from the iPhone, comScore found on Friday. February, the first month of the Verizon iPhone's availability, saw Android climb up to exactly 33 percent of the US smartphone field, a seven point climb from November. Apple's platform still managed to climb very slightly to 25.2 percent.

All of Google's advances came at the expense of every other platform, the research group said. RIM was hurt the most and saw its share drop below 30 percent for the first time, falling to 28.9 percent. Windows Phone 7 did little to stop Microsoft's decline and saw its combined efforts drop to 7.7 percent. HP, with the Pre3 and Veer still months off, dropped to 2.8 percent.

The Verizon iPhone was the most purchased phone in the month, comScore said.

The shift in balance had little effect on Apple's upward swing in overall cellphone manufacturer share in the country. The iPhone was up almost a full point to 7.5 percent and now in striking distance of RIM, which dropped slightly to 8.6 percent. Of the three Android makers above the two, only Samsung gained share to hold on to the lead at 24.8 percent; LG was flat, and Motorola kept declining as its smartphones weren't strong enough to offset the downfall of its basic feature phones.

Analysts credited Apple's gains to the Verizon iPhone and that it at least offset any potential losses. Android was in limbo at the time, with Motorola's Atrix 4G only shipped in late February while the HTC Thunderbolt's repeated delays pushed it back to mid-March. They could point to further gains by Android in comScore's next rankings, although an informal study has the Thunderbolt close to the iPhone despite launch momentum.

By Electronista Staff

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