Only Android, iPhone Growing, Windows In Decline — comScore

ComScore has released its latest mobile and smartphone market share figures. Based on consumer survey data the company reports that, once again, only Android and the iPhone showed growth while all other smartphone operating systems were down — or flat in the case of Symbian.

Next quarter we’re likely to see RIM’s share in the US drop to single digits. We can say at this point that the company is in free fall.

However the data above are also alarming for Microsoft given how much the company has promoted the new Lumia 900 handsets with hardware partner Nokia. On the most recent Nokia earnings call, CEO Stephen Elop said that sales of the Lumia 900 to date have been “mixed.” Despite superlatives and effusive praise coming from Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and generally positive reviews from the tech press the US public doesn’t appear that interested in Windows Phones.

ComScore also says that 106 million people now own smartphones in the US. This translates into 45.3 percent penetration. Nielsen has reported 50 percent smartphone penetration and the Pew Internet Project has said that 53 percent of mobile subscribers own smartphones.

The online measurement company also reported roughly equal usage of apps and the mobile browser. However data from Flurry Analytics reveals that there’s much more time spent/engagement with apps vs. the browser.

Data from comScore, Localeze and agency 15 Miles previously released found that half of smartphone owners used apps for local search. I then speculated that perhaps half of local search volumes were being logged in apps.