According to recent figures the iPhone iOS is no longer the top operating system in the United States, as the Android OS has now overtaken iOS as the top operating system; you can check out those figures by by hitting up (here).
For several years now Apple has dominated the smartphone space with their iPhone, but most recently the iPhone 4 has fallen under assault by users and critics over the iPhone 4 antenna issue, which no doubt has given Apple some bad flak.
Google’s Android platform however is spreading across the smartphone space at a rate on knots with virtually every phone manufacturer adopting the Android platform and delivering smartphones that can closely compete with Apple’s iPhone.
Now more than ever there are smartphones packing Android that can do more that the iPhone, such as the Sprint HTC EVO 4G and the soon to appear Samsung Epic 4G, both able to run on the 4G network, something Apple is slowly falling behind with.
As Android embraces 4G, Apple lags in getting aboard the new faster network, and AT&T will be left dragging their heels towards 4G which isn’t good for the future of the iPhone. Thus eventually AT&T will lose their exclusive hold over the iPhone, it’s been on the cards for ages but just why Apple insists on keeping the iPhone tied to a single carrier in the states is somewhat confusing as in other countries the iPhone is available on most networks.
While Android continues to spread across the globe it’s fairly obvious Android will become greater due to the amount of devices carrying the platform, but there may be one little way Apple can counteract Android overtaking iOS, and that is by delivering the much sought after Verizon iPhone, which just lately has been rumoured as coming in January 2011.
Could a Verizon iPhone stem the rise of Android in the States? Well maybe as Verizon does have a huge customer base, and many simply won’t go for the iPhone because it is tied to AT&T. However if Apple pushes out a Verizon iPhone, those people that have been opting to go with Android devices just might think about switching to the iPhone and iOS.
Basically I think Apple is restricting the spread of iOS in the US simply because of their loyalty to AT&T and some misplaced dislike of Verizon as an iPhone carrier; thus if they want to keep Android from taking the smartphone crown then Apple needs to not only deliver a Verizon iPhone, but also a Verizon 4G iPhone.
However, Apple may have just left it too late. Android continues to rise and will continue doing so on numerous smartphones and on the 4G network while Apple and the iPhone drag their heels delaying the inevitable.
Other iPhone carriers in the US has to come, the Verizon iPhone has to come, a 4G equipped iPhone has to come, otherwise Apple risk the iPhone becoming a has been device that doesn’t keep up with the latest technology.
So the question is, could a Verizon iPhone stem the Android iOS assault, or has Apple simply left it too late and Android will remain the top operating system to dominate America?