The launch of the Verizon iPhone 4 in the winter not only helped Apple gain status in the US but saw Android share decline for the first time in two years, the NPD Group found on Thursday. Apple was now the third-largest phone maker of any type in the US at 14 percent, slipping only behind basic phone specialists Samsung (23 percent) and LG (18 percent). The iPhone jumped nine points in smartphones to 28 percent, but Android had slipped from a record high 53 percent smartphone sales in the fall to 50 percent spread across its several manufacturers.
RIM saw its share tumble as it lost five points, down to 14 percent.
The addition of a second iPhone carrier also had the benefits of cementing the iPhone 4’s lead as the best-selling phone in the US, keeping it above the iPhone 3GS even with the latter’s price cut to $49. Motorola’s Droid X, the HTC Evo 4G, and the outgoing HTC Droid Incredible filled out the top five.
