The Torch is Passed to Android

Everyone watching the mobile OS wars has been expecting Android to become the dominant OS by powering a lot of the non-Apple hardware. The most recent Comscore numbers indicate that the torch (no BB pun) has been passed to Android in Q4, 2010. Below are the share numbers of mobile handsets and OS share. Android is powering much of the key handset players' devices (Samsung, Motorola, etc) and the Android market share just passed Apple's. The iPhone still has legacy stickiness due to the App store, iTunes, desktops, etc so it is not likely going to be a repeat of the Mac/Windows wars but it'll rhyme. Below is an excerpt from the Comscore Report (link here)

OEM Market Share
For the three month average period ending in November, 234 million Americans ages 13 and older used mobile devices. Device manufacturer Samsung ranked as the top OEM with 24.5 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers, up 0.9 percentage points from the three month period ending in August. LG ranked second with 20.9 percent share, followed by Motorola (17.0 percent), RIM (8.8 percent) and Nokia (7.2 percent).

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Top Mobile OEMs
3 Month Avg. Ending Nov. 2010 vs. 3 Month Avg. Ending Aug. 2010
Total U.S. Mobile Subscribers Ages 13+
Source: comScore MobiLens                                       .
                            Share (%) of Mobile Subscribers
                                            Aug-10    Nov-10    Point Change
Total Mobile Subscribers    100.0%    100.0%        N/A
Samsung                              23.6%     24.5%        0.9
LG                                        21.2%     20.9%       -0.3
Motorola                               18.8%     17.0%       -1.8
RIM                                        9.0%      8.8%       -0.2
Nokia                                     7.6%      7.2%       -0.4
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Smartphone Platform Market Share
61.5 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones during the three months ending in November, up 10 percent from the preceding three-month period, as RIM led with 33.5 percent market share of smartphones. After several months of strong growth, Google Android captured the #2 ranking among smartphone platforms in November with 26.0 percent of U.S. smartphone subscribers. Apple accounted for 25.0 percent of smartphone subscribers (up 0.8 percentage points), followed by Microsoft with 9.0 percent and Palm with 3.9 percent.

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Top Smartphone Platforms
3 Month Avg. Ending Nov. 2010 vs. 3 Month Avg. Ending Aug. 2010
Total U.S. Smartphone Subscribers Ages 13+
Source: comScore MobiLens                                           .
                                Share (%) of Smartphone Subscribers
                                                    Aug-10    Nov-10    Point Change
Total Smartphone Subscribers    100.0%    100.0%        N/A
RIM                                                37.6%     33.5%       -4.1
Google                                           19.6%     26.0%        6.4
Apple                                             24.2%     25.0%        0.8
Microsoft                                        10.8%      9.0%       -1.8
Palm                                                4.6%      3.9%       -0.7