Nielsen: Android continues lead over iOS

Android continues to outpace iOS as the top smartphone operating system (OS), but Apple remains the dominant manufacturer of handsets, stated Nielsen.

Google's mobile OS captured a 42.8 percent share of smartphone subscribers in the third quarter, according to the latest figures from Nielsen. That left Apple's iOS in second place with 28.3 percent. These figures revealed gains for both platforms, when compared with an earlier Nielsen report that showed Android with a 38 percent share and IOS with 27 percent during the months from March to May.

The news was less positive for the remaining players in the mobile OS landscape.

Research In Motion's BlackBerry grabbed a 17.8 percent share, down from 21 percent previously.

Windows Mobile and Windows Phone 7 together accounted for just 7.3 percent of the market, a dip from Nielsen's last report when Microsoft's combined mobile platforms took home a 10 percent share.

HP's Palm and WebOS grabbed 2.2 percent, leaving Nokia's Symbian with just 1.7 percent, both down slightly from their shares in the March to May period.

Apple continued to dominate among mobile phone makers for the quarter with its 28.3 percent share, while RIM took second place with 17.8 percent.

Among Android smartphone manufacturers, HTC was on top with a 15 percent share, leaving Samsung and Motorola each with around 10 percent. HTC also proved to be the top Windows Phone maker with a 4.7 percent share of that segment.

Overall, Android and iOS together commanded 71 percent of the mobile OS market. But they were even more dominant in the area of downloads, according to Nielsen. Among those who had downloaded apps over the prior 30 days, 83 percent used either an iPhone or an Android phone.

Smartphones also continue to catch up with feature phones in popularity. A full 44 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers now own smartphones. And among those who bought a mobile phone during the quarter, 56 percent opted for a smartphone.