Android may soon take over the Top Slot in Mobile OS from Apple: Analyst

Apple iPhone iOS and Google Android OS growth has been brisk over the last several years, winning the vast majority of market share both in the USA and globally.

Apple led for many years in the USA, then they gave way to Android over the last couple years. However when Apple released their new iPhone 6 devices, they once again took over the leadership position, says Computerworld.

According to Telecom Industry analyst Jeff Kagan,  “Growth in wireless, whether that means handsets or OS, will remain volatile over the next several years as leaders continue to try and one up each other”.

Rapid growth in the smartphone space started roughly seven years ago when the first Apple iPhone was launched. Next Google Android joined the race. Since that time both Apple iPhone and Google Android have been the real winners with the vast majority of market share for handset OS. On the handset side winners are Apple iPhone and Samsung Galaxy.

Top players in the handset battle include Apple iPhone, Samsung Galaxy which uses Google Android, Lenovo since they acquired Motorola, Huawei, Xiaomi and others.

Top players in the OS battle include Apple iOS, Android OS, Windows Phone from Microsoft Nokia, Blackberry OS and assorted smaller operating systems.

“The smartphone battle is continuing, changing and expanding,” says Kagan.

“Competitors in both handsets and OS are continually thinking of ways to win and keep customers. They try to get customers to buy and use a variety of devices which all communicate over their cloud. The more devices a customer buys and uses from one vendor, the stickier they become. And that’s the goal of every company, to create sticky customers,” says Kagan.

“I would like nothing more than to see other handset makers and OS explode onto the marketplace providing more choice and competition. Others are trying like Windows Phone, and the rest simply can’t seem to catch a break and build market share,” says Kagan.

Success with a handset or OS is not up to carriers like AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, C Spire and so on. These companies compete with each other for customers, but each carry the same devices.

“So winning on the handset side comes from innovation with the handset and the OS. Something we just haven’t seen enough of in the last few years as both Apple and Google have won more than 90 to 95 percent market share,” says Kagan.