We’ve heard a lot about the rapid ascension of Android, as Google’s mobile operating system recently outsold Apple iPhone and BlackBerry in the United States and many are predicting Android will be the second-largest mobile OS in the world. But part of this growth is because it was coming from no market share and a new report from NetMarket Share suggests Android is still dwarfed by the Apple iPhone and iOS.
“Although Android devices are rapidly gaining usage share, iOS has 4.9 times the global usage share of all Android devices,” NetMarket Share said.
The company said Android accounted for .24% of global Internet usage while Apple iOS was 1.18%. Keep in mind, those numbers are low because it includes all NetMarket Share Internet usage, including computers.
Part of Apple’s advantage over the little green robot and other platforms is that is also has popular iOS devices which don’t require phone contracts. The iPod touch essentially owns the personal media market and the latest version is essentially an iPhone 4 without the cellular radios.
The Apple iPad also runs iOS and it has been a legitimate hit. The tablet has sold more than 3 million units since it was launched earlier this year and it has legitimized the tablet space.
It may just be a matter of time before Google’s mobile OS surpasses Apple iOS in usage and market share though. The little green robot is already on more than 60 devices on multiple carriers and it shows no sign of losing momentum.
We are just beginning to see Android make its way to the tablet space, even though Google says it’s not optimized for this type of device. The Samsung Galaxy Tab will be hitting all four major carriers soon and we’re already hearing that Dell, Motorola and maybe HTC will bring out tablets with Google’s mobile operating system.
This fight is far from over folks.
[Via NetMarket Share]