New comScore data on mobile usage shows the number of smart phones continues to grow rapidly, increasing 12% from June of 2011 to 87.4 million in Sept. of 2011, and that the Android platforms continues to grain market share, hitting 44.8%.
The data, which shows a three month average for the period ending Sept. 2011 and is based on a survey of over 30,000 U.S. mobile subscribers by the comScore MobiLens service, is notable because it once again highlights the growing importance of the Android platform for the mobile strategies of media and entertainment companies.
That survey also found that Samsung was the largest handset supplier in the U.S. with 25.3% of U.S. mobile subscribers, followed by LG (20.6%), Motorola (13.8%), Apple (10.2%) and RIM (7.1%).
LG, Motorola and RIM all lost market share while Samsung held steady at 25.3% and Apple saw a notable gain from 8.9% to 10.2%.
Overall, about 234 million Americans aged 13 and older used mobile devices.
The Google Android platform posted significant gains, with its market share increasing from 40.2% to 44.8% while the Apple platform grew from 26.6% to 27.4% in the September figures. RIM ranked third with 18.9% share, followed by Microsoft (5.6 percent) and Symbian (1.8 percent).
The data also highlighted the growing importance of mobile web and apps for users. About 42.9% used a browser in the September survey, up from 40.1% in the June data and 42.5% downloaded apps, up from 39.5% in the earlier period.
