RIM leads ’smartphone market

The research firm comScore carries out user surveys every month. Using their survey methodologies, they have prepared a list which displays the number of users using particular smartphone operating systems. The company has shown a list where the survey results over a three month average period ending in October about the mobile subscribers in the United States, above the age of 13 have been compiled. RIM, makers of the BlackBerry phones proved to be the leading OS player in the period studied.

Based on the number of active users of smartphones in the United States of America, the list of the top ranking smartphone operating system has been set up. The research firm comScore conducted the survey among smartphone users by asking them questions and getting feedback about the type of phone they own. Then depending upon the responses of the people among whom the surveys were carried out, the research firm derived the operating system information.

The surveys conducted by comScore reveals the number of people who use smartphones and those who do not. It was found out that about 36 million Americans possess smartphones. On the other hand, the number of Americans using non- smartphones or devices that do not feature an open operating system stood at approximately 196 million. These figures do not actually represent the total number of devices that have been sold having a specific operating system. Rather, they reflect the recent phone ownership at a particular instant of time.

The numbers compiled by the research firm comScore regarding the top smartphone operating system are the latest values that are available from the research firm. They present the condition of the market after smartphones like Palm Pre and iPhone 3GS were introduced. However, the list prepared by the firm does not feature the Pre’s webOS operating system due to the fact that the phone still didn’t have an installed base which was large enough to allow them to be counted by the survey with accuracy.

The list revealed that in February, May, July and October the numbers for Apple stood at 5,258,504, 5,744,018, 6,630,298, and 8,970,049 respectively; for Google they were 427,914, 797,633, 894,159 and 1,020,364 respectively; for Microsoft the figures were 6,807,554, 7,040,584, 6,659,579 and 7,131,797 respectively; for Palm they were 2,398,755, 2,406,244, 2,626,151 and 2,843,534 respectively; for Research In Motion the figures stood at 9,668,977, 12,202,058, 13,080,555 and 14,963,238 respectively; for Symbian the values were 888,532, 889,232, 1,042,052 and 1,297,965 respectively while other non-proprietary OS stood at 206,825,938, 203,920,230, 200,981,682 and 196,773,054 respectively.

Source: comScore Survey