Virgin Smartphone Buyers Pick Google Over Apple

Stats from analytics firm NPD indicate first-time smartphone buyers aren’t opting for Apple’s iOS. Instead, they’re being wooed by smartphones running Google’s Android.

The figures, sampling US buyers between the months of October and December in 2011, revealed 57% of customers buying a smartphone for the first time purchased an Android device, 34% purchased an Apple iPhone, and 9% of buyers purchased smartphones running different operating system altogether.

The figures indicate Google’s Android has an influential presence amongst prospective smartphone buyers, despite many believing the Apple iPhone instigated the smartphone revolution.

Source: GSMArena

The gap was finer between customers in general looking to buy a smartphone; however, Google’s Android still had the top hand with almost half (48%) of buyers choosing it over iOS (43%).

According to GSMArena, the figures procured go against those previously anticipated, with Apple’s iOS expected to be the OS reigning supreme following the launch of its iPhone 4S.

Google’s success in penetrating a market traditionally dominated by Apple is owed to its plethora of form factors, which combined with varying feature sets, cater to a vast range of consumer needs.

Additionally, Apple’s iPhone is only offered by 3 of the major American carriers, whereas Google’s Android is offered by all 4.

With Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS dominating the vast majority of smartphone sales, Microsoft’s Windows Phone and other miscellaneous OS’ (such as MeeGo and Bada) only have scraps of market share to fight over.