Android has staged a healthy lead over Apple’s iOS as the smartphone wars continue.
Looking at the first quarter of the year, NPD Group pegged
Android‘s U.S. market share at 61 percent, a jump over the 49 percent recorded in last year’s fourth quarter.
On the flip side, iOS lost ground with a 29 percent market share, down from 41 percent during 2011’s final quarter.
Apple’s holiday surge in customers came courtesy of heavy demand for the
iPhone 4S,
which debuted last October. After the new year kicked in, Android won
back the lost ground to recapture the same market share it held during
the third quarter.
But no tears need be shed for Apple. Though the company lost share last quarter, the baseline is now higher as a result of added
iPhone distribution through Sprint, NPD said.
