Mixed figures in US smartphone market

Google and Apple’s mobile operating systems continue to go from strength-to-strength. Jumptap, market leaders in targeted mobile advertising have today revealed that according to February figures, Android and iOS currently make up 91% of the mobile OS market.

Consumers who have put off buying their first smartphone or upgrading an aging one are facing a more complicated decision as of Thursday.

Samsung may be be the world’s most popular smartphone brand, but in the influential U.S. market, Apple has climbed back to the top of the pack on the strength of its iPhone 5 sales.

Recent market research figures from the US suggest Android may be getting the upper hand over Apple's iPhone. But developers still favour the iPhone.

The iPhone 5 made its highly-anticipated arrival in China today, but despite strong pre-orders, it remains to be seen whether this will help Apple’s eroding share of the world’s largest smartphone market. Though the iPhone continues to be hugely popular among Chinese consumers, this may not be enough to hold onto the interest of China’s 290 million smartphone users.

A surge in Android sales has seen Google’s open-source smartphone OS shoot past the iPhone in the US consumer market as Windows Mobile slumps towards single-digit insignificance.

Just 12 months ago, Apple's burgeoning mobile phone business could do no wrong in Australia. Fresh from the local launch of the iPhone 3GS and with a market share ranking that was speedily catching up to the likes of Nokia and Research in Motion's BlackBerry in the smartphone market, Apple was on track to conquer the world. What a difference a year can make.

If initial Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone 5 sales are any measure, the vendor appears to be making headway in the China market. Apple disclosed that it sold more than 2 million iPhone 5 smartphones since the unit’s launch on Dec. 14, exceeding its prior product kickoff performances in China.

It seems that yesterday's NPD data which suggested that Android had a 28% market share and the iPhone a 21% touched a nerve at Apple HQ and prompted a response. But Apple's response interestingly bundles the iPod touch in with iPhone sales, seriously fudging the numbers.