Analyst Horace Dediu of the American market research firm Asymco has published a research report stating that the Android operating system has passed its peak growth phase, with its market share in the U.S. experiencing a decline for the first time.
The report indicates that according to the latest data released by market research company comScore, there are currently 142 million smartphone users in the U.S., of which nearly 73.84 million use Android smartphones, accounting for 52% of the total.
In comparison to the data comScore released last month, the U.S. had 141 million smartphone users at that time, with 73.88 million using Android smartphones, making up 52.4% of the market.
Dediu stated in the report: "The difference between these two sets of data is not significant, so we cannot yet confirm that the market share of Android in the U.S. has declined. However, it is undeniable that after years of rapid development, Android has now passed its peak growth period."
Dediu pointed out that although the market share of Android stopped growing about a year ago, the number of smartphone users continued to increase, resulting in a steady rise in the number of Android users. In recent months, however, as the growth trend of smartphone users has slowed down, this has led to the first decline in Android's market share.
Jay Yarow, editor of the American tech blog BusinessInsider, believes that all major U.S. telecom carriers are now subsidizing the iPhone, allowing its price to compete with Android phones, helping the iPhone gain significant market share.
Despite the decline in Android's market share in the U.S., it still holds a dominant position in the global smartphone market. According to data provided by IDC, Android's market share in the global smartphone market is as high as 80%.
Yarow noted that although the iPhone's market share in the U.S. smartphone market has increased, this cannot change the fact that Apple's position in the global smartphone market is declining. Globally, due to the high price of the iPhone and fewer operators offering it, the gap in market share between Apple and Android continues to widen.