Apple Closes The Gap Between iOS And Android With iPhone 4S Launch

A new report by NPD covering smartphone sales in the U.S. in October and November 2011 has found that the iPhone 4S has helped Apple close the gap between iOS and Android.

The report by NPD which analyzed sales from the end of 2011 found that while iPhone sales dropped towards Q3 of 2011, sales shot up during October and November. The original drop from 29% to 26% market share was largely due to the fact that the iPhone 4S was not released in June as previous models were, but was pushed back. Through October and November, Apple's market share (based on sales) went up from 26% to a whopping 43%.

Meanwhile, Android's market share fell from 60% down to 47%. However, since this jump was due to the release of iPhone 4S, it's likely that the market share will drop once again. It will be interesting to see if Apple has managed to keep it this way or even take the lead in December 2011.

Another noteworthy point in the report was the list of the top 10 smartphone models:

 As you can see, Apple is in the top 3 spots: the iPhone 4S is predictably first, followed by the $99 iPhone 4, and the iPhone 3GS. This last model is available for free with a 2-year contract on AT&T, which may be the reason that despite being in its third year of sales, it's more popular than the Samsung Galaxy S 4G and the Galaxy S II. And, even though Android seems to be slipping from the top position, TechCrunch notes that RIM and Microsoft have market shares so low that they aren't even really in the race.

[source TechCrunch]