Android share bias moves away from Verizon to ATT

A new Chitika look has shown that the Verizon iPhone is starting to eat sharply into that carrier's dominance of Android. At over 51 percent just in March, Verizon's share of all US phones using Google's OS is now down to 41 percent as of August. With Sprint and T-Mobile flat, most of the shift went into AT&T's 8.7, where its first high-end Android phones like the HTC Inspire 4G and Motorola Atrix helped draw users in.

Smaller carriers also gained some traction and made up 8.5 percent.

It's more likely that Apple is actively cutting into Android's share on Verizon, Chitika said. CDMA iPhones are now 10.3 percent of the total iPhone space at 2.3 million, and the GSM iPhone family is still widely known to be tops in smartphones on AT&T.

The figures reinforce views that the iPhone has upended the phone mix at Verizon. Much of Android's worldwide rise has been credited to Apple unintentionally giving Google a 'safe' carrier in Verizon, where the Motorola Droid and later Android phones were given the network's full marketing attention without having to directly compete with the iPhone. Apple became the top smartphone vendor on Verizon almost immediately after the iPhone became an option this February and suggests some, though not all, had been buying Android only because they refused to switch to AT&T.

A wildcard factor could be the rumored appearance of the iPhone on Sprint and T-Mobile. Having the Apple handset on every major US carrier should show what Android share will be like when iPhone availability or the lack of it doesn't distort results.

By Electronista Staff