Interesting numbers being reported by Comscore. In my favorite area Smartphones, in the US Apple and Google take a bite out of RIM (the Blakcberry). All players lost share except Apple.

More impressive is the performance of Google. I expect Google to continue to take more share of the smartphone market.

The report ranked the leading mobile original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and smartphone operating system (OS) platforms in the U.S. according to their share of current mobile subscribers age 13 and older, as well as the most popular forms of content and activity accessed via mobile device. The report found Motorola to be the top handset manufacturer with 23.5 percent market share, while RIM led among smartphone platforms with 41.6 percent market share.

Smartphone Platform Market Share

RIM was the leading mobile smartphone operating system in the U.S. in December 2009 with 41.6 percent share of U.S. smartphone devices. Apple ranked second with 25.3 percent share (up 1.2 percentage points), followed by Microsoft with 18.0 percent share, Palm with 6.1 percent share, and Google with 5.2 percent share (up 2.7 percentage points).

Top Mobile Smartphone Vendors

3 Months Ending Dec. 2009 – US Only

RIM                41.6%       change: -1.0
Apple              25.3%      change: 1.2
Microsoft       18.0%      change: -1.0
Palm                  6.1%      change: -2.2
Google              5.2%      change: 2.7

Users Want More Mobile Internet – A Need For Speed

This is a clear sign that the user experience of smartphones is what the mobile users want.  As users move from texting to full on web consumption and collaboration, the need for speed within mobile networks is critical.

This is why the conversation around who will lead the innovation in mobile is so important.  I see performance and new developer platforms as the key driver for more growth in the mobile smartphone area.  Rich media and full web access is putting strain on mobile networks – they might just be melting under the pressure.  This is why what Juniper Networks, Cisco Systems, and others do and launch as products is very important.

Just today, Cisco forecasts that by 2014 we will be using 3.6 exabytes a month on mobile networks worldwide.  We all want speed and performance to enable new sets of services.

OEM Market Share

A total of 234 million people age 13 and older in the U.S. used mobile devices in December 2009. Device manufacturer Motorola was the top ranked OEM with 23.5 percent of U.S. mobile devices. LG ranked second with 21.9 percent share, followed by Samsung (21.2 percent share), Nokia (9.2 percent share) and RIM (7.0 percent share).

Top Mobile OEMs
3 Months Ending Dec. 2009 – US Only

Motorola          23.5%      change: -1.4
LG                      21.9%      change: 0.2
Samsung           21.2%      change: 0.8
Nokia                  9.2%       change -0.4
RIM                    7.0%       change 0.6