Apple's iPhone exceeds Windows Mobile in US usage - study

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
Though previous studies found the iPhone was outselling Windows Mobile devices and had a greater presence online, Apple's handset finally unseated Microsoft devices in terms of overall use in October, a new study has found.



The latest survey of mobile operating system marketshare from research firm comScore found that the iPhone spiked to nearly 9 million U.S. users by the month of October, pushing it well past Microsoft's total of just over 7 million users. In July, the two companies were about even in total mobile OS market share. The latest survey data was obtained by FierceWireless.



comScore has found that about 36 million Americans own a smartphone, while another 196 million own a traditional cell phone. The numbers are meant to represent actual ownership and use of devices, rather than sales.



The milestone has been expected. In August, it was revealed that the iPhone, for the first time, outsold all Windows Mobile phones in the second quarter of 2009. Globally, Apple had a 13.7 percent share of the market, while Windows Mobile took just 9 percent during that frame.



The iPhone's Web presence has been particularly impressive, according to studies. One in November found that the iPhone was responsible for half of all mobile data traffic worldwide. That's well ahead of Symbian (25 percent), Android (11 percent), RIM (7 percent) and Windows Mobile (3 percent).



The most recent comScore data allegedly represents the first study released since the debut of the iPhone 3GS in June. The numbers also include the Palm Pre, though its webOS operating system reportedly has not achieved enough of an install base to appear.



Source: comScore



In July, Microsoft held a slight lead over Apple, by less than 30,000 total units. But three months later, Windows Mobile had added less than a half-million users, while the iPhone had gained more than 2.2 million.



The totals represent a three-month average ending in October of U.S. mobile subscribers aged 13 and up. Respondents were asked to indicate the phone they own.



Source: comScore
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 26
    warpwarp Posts: 17member
    Is there any comment from Steve Ballmer yet?
  • Reply 2 of 26
    Hey Steve Ballmer, still think the iPhone is a joke?
  • Reply 3 of 26
    irnchrizirnchriz Posts: 1,617member
    Probably because windows mobile is shite and years out of date. It has really only lasted so long due to the effort HTC has put into hiding it behind their custom interface.
  • Reply 4 of 26
    jukesjukes Posts: 213member
    I'm surprised.



    I would never have guessed that there would be that many windows mobile installations out there. I would have bet money that this happened more than a year ago. Shows how much I know.
  • Reply 5 of 26
    What an embarrassment. A company of MS' size, allegedly twice the R&D budget of Apple, twice the workforce, and they can barely get their core (in)competency right, never mind phones and other devices.



    But when you whore your OS (or Mobile OS) out to every trash-box manufacturer without regard for the User Experience, someone is bound to come along and show you how it's done.



    MS is an example of everything that is wrong with Corporate America.



    MS' WinMo strategy in a nutshell:



  • Reply 6 of 26
    boogabooga Posts: 1,082member
    Does this take into account the iPod Touch or not? It's hard to tell from the charts, since they say "iPhone OS" but the accompanying article specifically talks about iPhones.
  • Reply 7 of 26
    roos24roos24 Posts: 170member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Booga View Post


    Does this take into account the iPod Touch or not? It's hard to tell from the charts, since they say "iPhone OS" but the accompanying article specifically talks about iPhones.



    Good question. But I have to assume that they're talking phones only here.
  • Reply 8 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Booga View Post


    Does this take into account the iPod Touch or not? It's hard to tell from the charts, since they say "iPhone OS" but the accompanying article specifically talks about iPhones.



    Follow the links:

    Quote:

    The following lists* the top smartphone operating systems by number of active users in the United States in October, according to research firm comScore.



    ComScore conducts monthly user surveys. The following list is derived from a three-month average ending in October of U.S. mobile subscribers over the age of 13. ComScore asked respondents what type of phone they own, and derived operating system information based on those responses.



    http://www.fiercedeveloper.com/pages...ctober-numbers



    *As tabled at the bottom the AI article. Ref: http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...age_study.html
  • Reply 9 of 26
    irelandireland Posts: 17,799member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Jerseymac View Post


    Hey Steve Ballmer, still think the iPhone is a joke?



    What he says publicly and what he thinks are not necessarily the same thing.
  • Reply 10 of 26
    thomprthompr Posts: 1,521member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    What he says publicly and what he thinks are not necessarily the same thing.



    What Ballmer says publicly and what he thinks are NEVER the same thing, because it's obvious that he doesn't think.



    Thompson
  • Reply 12 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Booga View Post


    Does this take into account the iPod Touch or not? It's hard to tell from the charts, since they say "iPhone OS" but the accompanying article specifically talks about iPhones.



    These numbers do not take the iPod touch into account.
  • Reply 13 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rhetoric.assassin View Post


    http://forums.crackberry.com/f156/ma...outage-387205/



    keeping hush about..



    Not really - http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-104...orsPicksArea.0
  • Reply 14 of 26
    boogabooga Posts: 1,082member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cvaldes1831 View Post


    These numbers do not take the iPod touch into account.



    Thanks. The iPod Touch is such a dark horse in this race! You can take the iPhone market share and double it if you want to know what the incentive is for DEVELOPERS (DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS!) to support a given platform.
  • Reply 15 of 26
    Now, now... Give Ballmer his due... He did say, after he finished laughing and talking about no keyboard, that it may sell very well, he just didn't know. Well, now he knows. He also said he liked his company business plan, of course if that changes, we'll know that he doesn't care very much about it now especially if MS "creates" their own hardware/software phone... and just like the Play for Sure program axed in favor of the Zune, WinMo as a OS for the various handset manufacturers will probably go the way of the Bill Gates/Jerry Seinfeld tv commercials...



    But it will be interesting to see the stats a year from now with Google and Android, along with RIM and of course Apple... MS will be the big player amongst the Palm and Symbian crowd! \
  • Reply 16 of 26
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    RiM is the only pre-iPhone company that doesn’t look hurt by the iPhone. In fact, it looks like they’ve increased unit sales due to the iPhone’s bringing consumer focus to the smartphone segment. I wonder how their profits are doing and if they can maintain that lead in the US.
  • Reply 17 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by irnchriz View Post


    Probably because windows mobile is shite and years out of date. It has really only lasted so long due to the effort HTC has put into hiding it behind their custom interface.



    Yep, I hear they are working on 'WindowsMobile-M.e.'
  • Reply 18 of 26
    irelandireland Posts: 17,799member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by thompr View Post


    What Ballmer says publicly and what he thinks are NEVER the same thing, because it's obvious that he doesn't think.



    Thompson



    Oh he thinks alright.
  • Reply 19 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Booga View Post


    Thanks. The iPod Touch is such a dark horse in this race! You can take the iPhone market share and double it if you want to know what the incentive is for DEVELOPERS (DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS!) to support a given platform.



    You're on the right track. However, if there are 30 million iPhones, there are probably about 20 million iPod touches, so not quite double.



    Still, the presence of a phoneless sibling device does give Apple the advantage over its competitors.



    As a matter of fact, iPod touch owners on the average download more apps (both free and paid) than iPhone owners.
  • Reply 20 of 26
    irelandireland Posts: 17,799member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cvaldes1831 View Post


    You're on the right track. However, if there are 30 million iPhones, there are probably about 20 million iPod touches, so not quite double..



    About 30M each actually.
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