Google is the top search engine among mobile users, and now the company is in an even better position to dominate the mobile market, as Android is gaining ground. The latest report from Nielsen shows that Android is the fastest-growing system in the market.
The study shows that mobile subscribers who have purchased smartphones within the past six months are increasingly turning to Android. Forty percent of adult smartphone consumers from June 2010 to November 2010 acquired Android-based phones, bringing the operating system to a total market share of 25.8 percent.
Android has flourished in recent months, and Apple acquisitions are much slower – just 26.9 percent of recent smartphone subscribers purchased phones that run on iOS. Nonetheless, Apple is still holding strong in the smartphone market. Apple's iOS accounts for 28.6 percent of the smartphone operating system market.
While Android may be the one to watch in the mobile market, marketers can't ignore the value of the iPhone in reaching on-the-go consumers. Plus, many speculate that Apple will announce a partnership with Verizon at the upcoming CES, which will mean mobile marketers can reach an even broader audience via the iPhone.
As Brafton reported just last week, Apple plans to increase shipments of the iPhone during the first quarter of 2011. This has served as a sign that it may be expanding its reach to include Verizon users, and it also suggests the iPhone is key to mobile marketing.
