Android extends smartphone lead as RIM's share dwindles

Google's Android and Apple's iOS are continuing to pick up share in the smartphone market at the expense of RIM's BlackBerry platform, according to new figures from comScore.

The research firm said in a recent report on the US smartphone market that Android grew from 33 per cent to 38 per cent during the most recent quarter, while iOS saw a modest gain from 25.2 per cent to 26.6 per cent.

However, BlackBerry's share fell from 28.9 per cent to 24.7 per cent over the three-month period.

RIM also lost ground in terms of hardware sales, seeing its share fall from 8.6 per cent in the previous quarter to 8.1 per cent in the latest survey.

ComScore's report comes amid a trying year for the BlackBerry maker. RIM has been dogged by poor financial results and slow sales which have led some in the industry to question the company's long-term outlook.

Samsung claimed the top spot among handset manufacturers with a 24.8 per cent share, followed by LG, Motorola, Apple and RIM.

The report said that, while Android has overtaken iOS in smartphone share, the Apple platform continues to enjoy an advantage in overall 'reach' owing to the success of the iPad tablet in the US and European markets.

This reach advantage may not necessarily translate to better brand loyalty, however, as comScore found that consumers often choose different platforms for tablets and smartphones.