What happened with iPhone market last quarter? Why, if one were inclined to write jerktastic headlines, one might write something akin to “ATTENTION HENRY BLODGET: ANDROID DEAD IN THE WATER.”
But, of course, no one would do that.
This is Macworld, not Business Insider.
Please.
Plus, the Macalope couldn’t really care less about market share. The point is that we’re told on a daily basis that we’re supposed to care by numerous serial jerkbags.
iPhone 4S inches Apple closer to Android in top market share
Analyzing last year’s smartphone market, NPD found that iOS’s share surged to 43 percent in October and November from just 26 percent in the third quarter, thanks largely to demand for the iPhone 4S. Though Google’s mobile OS maintained its lead, its share dropped in October and November to 47 percent from 60 percent in the previous quarter.
Now, these are just estimates, and one quarter does not a trend make. But just look at that chart—that’s what the kids in the business call a blowout.
That would be the kids in the smartphone business, not the kids in the diaper business. A blowout in the diaper business is something else entirely.
With Apple and Android vying for the top spot, other smartphone players have lagged far behind, “turning the OS battle into a two-horse race,” according to NPD.
Well, one horse and a big corral full of mules.
If we take these numbers at face value, it’s pretty clear that the iPhone was on an upward trend that started when Verizon was added to the mix. Oh, you mean that people weren’t just choosing Android because it was open? Right, that’s exactly what the Macalope means. (Thanks, Billy.) Then it stalled for a quarter as people waited for the iPhone 4S, and then took off again, with the added benefit of Sprint. That slope will probably flatten out during the current quarter, and the Macalope expects Android will retain its lead for the foreseeable future, because carriers sure do like to junk themselves up some phones.
Some analysts believe Windows Phone could climb its way to third place in the global smartphone arena ahead of RIM…
Or RIM will just sink down below Windows Phone. One or the other.
Seriously, the Macalope thinks Microsoft would have sold a million more phones if they had picked a better name.
Yes, even Larry.
[Editors’ Note: In addition to being a mythical beast, the Macalope is not an employee of Macworld. As a result, the Macalope is always free to criticize any media organization. Even ours.]