Apple’s share also rises, but more slowly
Google is continuing to consolidate its share of the US smartphone market, with Android expected to run on the handsets of 43% of smartphone users by the end of this year, eMarketer estimates.
This is up 6 percentage points over 2011 and will continue to rise throughout the forecast period, nearing 50% of the total smartphone market by 2014. But Apple’s share is not suffering as a result—in fact, iOS is gaining users as well, though less rapidly. Between 2010 and 2014, eMarketer forecasts Apple’s share of the smartphone market will rise from 28% to 36%, a 29% increase.
The picture is far less rosy for BlackBerry, Windows Mobile and other operating systems. BlackBerry in particular, which was the market leader just two years ago, will fall to a 7% share of the total by 2014—behind every other OS measured.
eMarketer estimates that overall, nearly 116 million Americans will own a smartphone and use it monthly this year. The share of the population with advanced phones will rise steadily from more than one-third this year to 58.5% by 2016, when nearly three in four mobile users will have a smartphone.
Growth in smartphone uptake will be led by the youngest and oldest mobile users, as well as by non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics of all races.
eMarketer’s estimates of smartphone penetration are based on the analysis of survey and traffic data from research firms and regulatory agencies, historical trends, company-specific data, and demographic and socioeconomic factors.
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Check out today’s other articles, “Americans Get Social on Their Phones” and “UK Smart Device Adoption and Mobile Ad Spending Soar in Olympic Year.”