comScore today released the results of its monthly rolling survey of U.S. mobile phone users for the September-November period, finding that 18.5% of U.S. mobile phone subscribers are now using an iPhone, up 1.4 percentage points from the June-August period. Samsung continues to lead the market at 26.9% on 1.2 percentage point growth, while the remainder of the top five vendors all lost share.
Apple overtook LG for the second spot in last month's survey, and solidified its lead in the latest data on continued growth paired with a small decline by LG.
In looking only at smartphones, which now account for 53% of the U.S. mobile market, Android has continued to expand its lead and now holds 53.7% of the market. The iPhone 5 launch has, however, allowed Apple to continue its growth and the company now holds 35% of the smartphone market as the fall of RIM and Microsoft have increasingly turned the smartphone market into a two-horse race.
Notably, comScore's data tracks installed user base rather than new handset sales, making it more reflective of real-world usage but slower to respond to shifting market trends than some other studies.
Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026.
"I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld.
The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld.
Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by Juli Clover
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do.
The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up.
Upgraded Architecture
The next-generation...
Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by Joe Rossignol
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April.
Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far.
iOS 26.3
iPhone to Android Transfer Tool
iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie.
"Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
Apple wants a triopoly. The issue isn't the handset, it's the ecosystem. It was the windows ecosystem, not windows that took down apple in the 90s (and just a little bit of anti-competitive practices).
'Divide and conquer' is what Apple wants, as well as extending the ecosystem beyond a handset to computer, tablet and TV is. Google/Android is less an issue in the fragmentation of handsets specs OEM and carrier add-ons. However Samsung is capable of taking on Apple directly, and Google with Motorola could if actually make a plan.
Apple wants an Amazon or a Windows/Nokia/Surface/xBox solution that dilutes the Samsung and Google threat. Apple is quite happy competing in a world where it gets the high spend 25% of the market, because no one can compete with it's efficiencies. If Samsung was unchallenged, it could attack the high end by subsidizing it with the (slightly less) low end, and have the mass to shift the power center of the 'mobile ecosystem' to itself. But with a bevy of competitors at the low end of a triopoly or greater space, no one ecosystem can establish that broad base lever point to lock in the long term.
In other words... sucky cheap phones/pads/computers drive customers to change, not upgrade to less sucky. Apple wants to be that change.
The more the better for consumers, it's competition that forces companies to better themselves.
Agreed. An example is the iPad Mini. Would probably not exist if it weren't for competitors in the marketplace - even Eddie Cue's email illustrates that.
That's a lot lower than I thought... Most anyone I see walking around on their phone has an iPhone.
That's because iPhones are consistent and recognizable, while Android phones are all just clumped together and no one knows the difference at first glance.
It's part of what makes these "ANDROID has more marketshare than iPhone!!!1!" articles all the more misleading.
