Verizon Wireless’ share of the U.S. Android market was down again in August, sinking to its lowest point since the carrier’s launch of the iPhone 4 this past March. The nation’s top carrier played a large role in popularizing Google’s mobile OS thanks to a massive $100 million marketing campaign focused on the Motorola DROID, but Apple’s smartphone has shifted demand among its subscribers. According to market research firm Chitka Insights, Verizon Wireless’ share of the Android smartphone market in the U.S. stood at 51.42% in March, the month after Apple’s CDMA iPhone 4 finally launched. Android has continued to grow explosively since then, however Verizon’s share dropped to its lowest point yet in August: 41.05%. In the same amount of time, AT&T’s share of the U.S. Android market grew 5 points to 8.47% while Sprint and T-Mobile stayed relatively flat. “While Verizon still has four of the top five Android smartphones (Droid X, HTC Droid Incredible, Samsung Fascinate, Droid), its market share is clearly down. In contrast, AT&T’s share of the Android phone market is increasing, with devices such at the HTC Inspire gaining significant popularity among smartphone users,” Chitka said on its company blog.
[Via Apple Insider]