Android Outpaces iPhone In 2011 U.S. Smartphone Sales

Google's Android operating system continues to lead U.S. smartphone sales and has increased its market share in recent months, according to research. Market research firm The NPD Group has revealed that 52 percent of the smartphones sold in the United States during the second quarter of the year had a version of the Android operating system embedded. That is in addition to the estimated 36 percent market share that Android enjoyed in the first quarter, according to separate research. It was the market leader then, too. In second place again is Apple's iOS operating system, which saw a slight rise at 29 percent. BlackBerry OS share fell 11 percent, said the company, while Windows Phone 7, Windows Mobile, and webOS share was flat at less than 5 percent each. Google, creator of the Android OS, recently purchased smartphone manufacturer Motorola for $12.5 billion. Google says that despite now owning a handset manufacturer, it "remains firmly committed to Android as an open platform."