Windows Mobile in single digits in U.S. consumer smartphones

Google's Android mobile phone operating system is getting lots of industry attention and headlines this morning for toppling BlackBerry as the top mobile operating system based on second-quarter sales to U.S. consumers, according to the NPD Group market research firm. On the other end of the spectrum, the numbers show Microsoft digging an even deeper hole for itself, as its market share fell to a new low of 9 percent.
Android rises, Windows Mobile declines in smartphone market share chart

Although Windows Mobile has been declining for some time, the latest dip is no doubt also due in part to its status as a lame duck. Its successor, Windows Phone 7, a major revamp, is due out in the fall.

NPD said Android was installed on 33 percent of all smartphones purchased by consumers in the U.S. in the second quarter (up from 28 percent in the first quarter), compared with 22 percent for RIM's BlackBerry (down from 36 percent) and 22 percent for Apple's iOS (up from 22 percent). At the same time, NPD's Ross Rubin said in the news release that Android's growth rate is trailing off a bit.

“For the second consecutive quarter, Android handsets have shown strong but slowing sell-through market share gains among U.S. consumers,” Rubin said. “While the Google-developed OS took market share from RIM, Apple’s iOS saw a small gain this quarter on the strength of the iPhone 4 launch.”

Windows Mobile didn't garner a mention in the news release, but NPD released the 9 percent figure in response to our inquiry this morning. Windows Mobile had been at 10 percent in the first quarter and 17 percent in the second quarter of 2009.

The NPD numbers don't include mobile phone purchases by businesses, a traditional area of strength for Microsoft's Windows Mobile business.

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