By the end of 2011, there could be more smartphones in the United States than the less advanced feature phones, according to a report released Monday by the Nielsen Company, a market trends monitor.
The report also notes that the Google Android platform continues to show rapid growth and over the past six months has edged past the Apple iPhone platform with new subscribers.
But even with the latest spike, the iPhone still remains the smartphone that is most coveted by consumers. The Nielsen report said that "among current subscribers thinking of switching" mobile phones, 90 percent of iPhone owners remain loyal to the handset. The report said that 21 percent of Android owners and 29 percent of BlackBerry users have considered switching to the iPhone.
Dan Frommer of Business Insider said that one thing holding the iPhone back could be the fact that it is available through only one carrier, AT&T. By comparison, Android and BlackBerry phones are available on multiple carriers.
Another report released on Monday by Canalys, an online research firm, said Android smartphone sales grew as much as 886 percent in the second quarter of 2010. The firm also said the entire smartphone market grew by 64 percent during the same period.
Nokia also held onto a substantial lead in the smartphone market worldwide. The report said the company maintained a 38 percent share of the global smartphone market, shipping a record 24 million in the latest quarter.