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Official EVO Rumors and Speculation thread
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by Marguerite Reardon
Google's Android operating system edged out Apple's iPhone operating system for the No. 2 spot in the U.S. consumer smartphone market in the first quarter, research firm NPD Group reported Monday.
According to NPD, devices running Android accounted for 28 percent of the units sold to U.S. consumers in the first quarter of 2010. BlackBerry devices made by Research In Motion, which use RIM's homegrown operating system, took the top spot with 36 percent of the U.S. market. Apple's iPhone, which had been in the No. 2 spot previously, fell to third place with 21 percent of the market.
This chart shows the sharp growth in Google Android phones among consumers in the U.S. market compared to other smartphone operating systems.
(Credit: NPD Group)
NPD's figures are based on self-reported consumer surveys and they estimate the number of devices sold to consumers. The figures do not include sales of devices to business customers through enterprise contracts.
Android is an operating system that is available on several different models of phones made by different manufacturers, such as Motorola, HTC, and Samsung. Meanwhile, Apple's operating system is used only on Apple's own iPhone.
Ross Rubin, an analyst with NPD, attributed the strong growth in Android to the fact that devices using Android software are now available on all major U.S. carrier networks. Verizon Wireless, in particular, has helped fuel success for the operating system. Verizon launched a major marketing campaign for devices, such as the Motorola Droid, last year. And Verizon, the largest U.S. wireless operator, has also been including Android devices in its buy-one-get-one free smartphone promotion. T-Mobile USA also features Android phones as its flagship smartphones, and AT&T has begun selling Android phones.
"The wireless carriers in the U.S. are still the king makers in the mobile market," said Rubin. "Verizon in particular is what is making the Android so successful right now with its promotions and marketing."
Rubin said that strong sales of the Motorola Droid, HTC Droid Eris, and RIM's Blackberry Curve via these promotions have helped keep Verizon's smartphone sales on par with AT&T in the first quarter. NPD's data suggests that smartphone sales at AT&T account for nearly a third of the entire smartphone market, about 32 percent. Verizon Wireless accounted for 30 percent of smartphone sales. T-Mobile made up 17 percent of all smartphone sales and Sprint brought in 15 percent of all smartphone sales.
There is no question that Apple's iPhone is still very popular. Last month, AT&T reported that it had activated about 900,000 iPhones for new customers during the first quarter. It also sold another 1.8 million iPhones to people who were already AT&T customers. Without the iPhone, AT&T's subscriber growth for contract customers would have been negative.
But the NPD findings suggest that sales of the phone could be even higher in the U.S. if the device was available on other carrier networks, such as Verizon Wireless. Reports surfaced in March that the iPhone could be coming to Verizon soon. But definite plans for a Verizon iPhone have still not been announced.
"If the iPhone was available today on Verizon, Apple would certainly grow market share," Rubin said. "But it's harder to say what will happen in the long term. It's difficult to know what the feature-set will look like on phones in a year. But it's clear the iPhone still has enough cachet today to pick up market share."
Gekko
Android Expert
yes. excessive and heavy handed moderation has a dilution and a chilling effect.
Gekko
Android Expert
i suggested this weeks ago - that Sprint should waste ZERO resources on the N1.
Gekko
Android Expert
no need to post the whole article and chart. the link with brief commentary would have been sufficient.
drexappeal
Extreme Android User
I was actually debating on checking out the N1 before the EVO was officially announced.
Does the stock Android OS have landscape mode or would it be just like having sense UI, where you can only see portrait mode on the home page?
neodorian
Android Expert
As far as I know, both stock and unmodified Sense both are portrait only on the home screens.
Gekko
Android Expert
what inside info have you posted?
Gekko
Android Expert
i'd consider the iPhone if it came to Sprint.
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In the “totally unlikely to come true” department, yesterday I was told that Sprint will be getting the iPhone this summer. You heard that right, while rumors have long pointed to Big Red getting the iPhone this year, never has it been mentioned that Sprint would be selling the iPhone. I can’t believe this is true, although the source has been reliable in the past and does work for Sprint. I’m not holding my breath.
Sprint Cans Nexus One; Getting the iPhone?
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In the “totally unlikely to come true” department, yesterday I was told that Sprint will be getting the iPhone this summer. You heard that right, while rumors have long pointed to Big Red getting the iPhone this year, never has it been mentioned that Sprint would be selling the iPhone. I can’t believe this is true, although the source has been reliable in the past and does work for Sprint. I’m not holding my breath.
Sprint Cans Nexus One; Getting the iPhone?
Gekko
Android Expert
i'm curious - can you easily "turn off/on" SenseUI on these HTC phones without rooting etc.? not that i necessarily want to - just curious if it's an option.
Slacker4Life
Member
Short answer is "No"...It's been reported that the Incredible lacks the basic vanilla Android files, which indicates the Sense UI is the only one available.
OfTheDamned
The Friendly Undead
You can on the Eris. I believe that the phone has to be listed as "with google" for you to be able to turn off Sense. Although, I may be thinking of something else.
Gekko
Android Expert
interesting.
1. how does the server identify the exact make/model of phone? the phone broadcasts its make/model? you'd think it'd be purposely on the down-low.
2. i wouldn't be surprised if Apple provides all major carriers a GSM or CDMA iPhone version for testing on their networks for a "just in case" or "when the time comes" basis. OR maybe Sprint's engineers hacked one together as a reference model to test and to maybe someday demo (4G) back to Apple.
capthr
Well-Known Member
I just know what he tells me, from what i gather it shows up as a manufacturer and either a model number or codeword. He said the EVO had been in testing for almost a full year before it was announced and they didn't know exactly what it was in his department until all the rumors of the Supersonic started really flying around toward the end of last year.
He knows a few people in the testing area but said they are pretty tight with the info, which i can totally understand.
Unfortunately he can't tell me release dates, pricing or any of the juicy stuff we want to know. I know none of this really helps but its interesting none the less.
I haven't talked to him since the article about Clear having more 4g phones coming out, so I don't know anything about them in particular but he does know there are more 4g phones coming late this year/early next that they were briefed on in a meeting cause i asked that when the evo was announced.
I'll go back to lurking now.
Last year the advocates got the Pre 3-4 weeks before launch, and the advocates at 2 stores near me here in KC got them last week, but of course they won't let me see them lol. I'm going to the Sprint Studio (its the ultra fancy flagship store) store in downtown tomorrow to talk to the guys i know there and see if one of them might be the advocate, he was last year for the Pre.
Gekko
Android Expert
remember - the Pre was a whole new webOS. this EVO is still Android so the learning curve should be a lot less steep.
and don't they do training via webinar?
Would it be unusual that 4g areas could have gotten the phones and started training earlier? or are the phones usually given to advocates around the same time??
i believe they start that way then are given the phones early so they can have hands on time to answer questions, at least that is what i was led to believe by the Pre guy
There were early versions of the EVO back in Baltimore in November of 09 I had no clue what it was and did not even take interest in it. Man do I suck
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