Verizon iPhone Surge Yields First Slip in Android U.S. Sales Share in Two Years

103641 iphone 3gs 4

Market research firm NPD today announced the results of its "Mobile Phone Track" survey for the first quarter of 2011, covering U.S. mobile phone sales. According to the study, Apple rode the strength of the CDMA iPhone launch on Verizon to eat into Android's share of the smartphone market for the first time since the second quarter of 2009. Android does, however, continue to hold a strong lead in market share.

The Android OS lost ground for the first time since Q2 2009, falling to 50 percent of smartphone unit sales in Q1 2011 compared to 53 percent in the prior quarter. Apple iOS share rose 9 percentage points to comprise 28 percent of smartphone unit sales. BlackBerry OS also lost ground, falling 5 points, to 14 percent.

The iPhone surge comes even as Apple has reportedly sliced CDMA iPhone 4 production to half of its initial 2011 projections.

Looking at all mobile phones, Apple ranked third among manufacturers with 14% of the market, behind Samsung at 23% and LG at 18%. And with continued strong growth from the iPhone and Android, smartphones for the first time represented the majority of U.S. mobile phone sales at 54%.

Apple's iPhone 4 ranked as the top-selling mobile phone in the U.S. during the quarter, and perhaps most surprisingly, the iPhone 3GS took second place in the rankings. Despite essentially being a nearly two-year-old device, the iPhone 3GS almost certainly received a strong boost during the first quarter after AT&T and Apple dropped the price to $49 on a two-year contract. The iPhone 3GS is not available on Verizon.

Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

Popeye206 Avatar
165 months ago
So the iPhone went from being pummeled by Android to now just being badly beaten.

That is Awesome.

Why do you keep comparing a single phone model to an entire platform used on 20 some devices?

Oh... that's right... it's all you can hang your hat on. Sorry... let's talk pummeled or badly beaten when any single Android phone outsells the iPhone.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bpaluzzi Avatar
165 months ago
So the iPhone went from being pummeled by Android to now just being badly beaten.

That is Awesome.

the iPhone doesn't compete against Android. The iPhone competes against all of the handsets running Android. And it's killing them. The 3GS as the second best-selling handset? That's frankly embarrassing for Android.

So tell me, in what world is having:
1 - the most popular handset
2 - the 2nd most popular handset
3 - the most popular mobile OS
4 - the most popular tablet
getting "badly beaten"?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
netnothing Avatar
165 months ago
Anyone else find these stories on market share to be completely boring?!?

Can MacRumors setup a Page 3 section to put these on and keep the interesting rumors on the first page (new Macs, new iOS, etc)?

Until Apple announces they are stopping production of the iPhone due to low sales.....I don't care who sells the most. :rolleyes:

-Kevin
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PeterQVenkman Avatar
165 months ago
THere are two articles on the home page right now: one about Verizon iPhones not selling as well as thought, and one on the Verizon iPhone surge causing Android US market share to slip.

So the news is that they are simultaneously doing better and worse than anticipated?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tbrinkma Avatar
165 months ago
How do you "win" a platform war?

Does Google win because they have so many devices running their Android OS? *Marketshare*

Or does Apple win because you have to buy their hardware in order to get iOS? *Profit*

Or can we just agree that both platforms are doing insanely well in their respective ways?

Heck, I'd go so far as to say, "Both platforms are doing insanely well." Period. Dead stop. End of sentence.

I've never understood the mindset that things for one group to do well everyone else must do poorly. How about the expression, "A rising tide lifts all boats."
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
marksman Avatar
165 months ago
Not surprising the iPhone 3GS was #2.

This is the real data. How are the actual phones selling... That is why when people try to convolute Android vs iOS on phones only it is silly.

Apple is dominating the smartphone markets with their individual products. Opening up to Verizon has taken away one of Android's advantages in the US.

All 4 iPhones are in the Top 10 of smartphones sold since the iPhone came out. In fact they are probably all in the top 6 or 7.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
anker new xmas 1

Anker's Cyber Week Sale Enters Final Days With Up to 60% Off Sitewide

Friday December 1, 2023 12:05 pm PST by
Anker's Black Friday/Cyber Week event is entering its final days this weekend, and it's still offering up to 60 percent off sitewide. There are also a few "mystery boxes" that can include hundreds of dollars in savings, if you're willing to risk not knowing what you're buying ahead of time. All of these sales will end on December 3. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Anker. When you...
iOS 17

28 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in December's iOS 17.2 Update

Friday December 1, 2023 2:57 am PST by
Apple made the first beta of iOS 17.2 available to developers in October. Since then we've seen three more betas, and with each iteration Apple continues to add more new features and changes, many of which users have been anticipating for quite a while. Below, we've listed 28 new things that are coming to your iPhone when the finalized version is publicly released this December. 1. Help...
top stories 2dec2023

Top Stories: iOS 17.1.2 Released, NameDrop Misinformation, and More

Saturday December 2, 2023 6:00 am PST by
Apple employees are back to work following a Thanksgiving break, and that means this week saw a number of new operating system updates for both public release and beta testing. This week also saw some misinformation about Apple's new NameDrop feature making the rounds, while Apple and Goldman Sachs appear to be on the verge of a break-up in their Apple Card and savings account partnership,...
General Apps Messages

Green Bubbles on iPhone to Gain These 7 New Features Next Year

Thursday November 30, 2023 9:00 am PST by
Earlier this month, Apple announced that it will finally support RCS in the Messages app on the iPhone starting later next year. This change will result in several improvements to the messaging experience between iPhones and Android devices. RCS will become the new default standard for messaging between iPhones and Android devices, but these conversations will still have green bubbles like...
m2 macbook air green

Get Apple's M2 MacBook Air and M3 MacBook Pro for Record Low Prices

Friday December 1, 2023 6:59 am PST by
Best Buy is discounting a collection of MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models to all-time low prices today. We're tracking these deals below in addition to great discounts on the Apple Pencil 2 and Apple Watch Ultra 1. MacBook Air Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the...
iPhone 16 Mock Header Updated 1

iPhone 16 to Include Action Button Across Entire Lineup

Thursday November 30, 2023 4:08 pm PST by
The release of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max saw the introduction of an entirely new user-configurable button known as the Action button, and now, MacRumors has seen extensive evidence confirming Apple is planning to include the Action button on the entire iPhone 16 range. Designs and plans for the Action button date back to at least 2021, as the button was intended for release alongside hapt...