Women want Apple's iPhone, men prefer Google Android, Nielsen finds

The iPhone and devices running Google Android are the most desired smartphones in the U.S., but men tend to prefer Android while women gravitate toward Apple's iOS, a new survey has found.

Nielsen on Wednesday released the results of its October survey of mobile phone users. It found that the iPhone was "most desired" among likely smartphone upgraders in the U.S., ahead of Android.

But Android found its greatest share when the results were viewed by gender: 32.6 percent of male respondents said they wanted an Android smartphone, while 28.6 percent of men opted for the iPhone.

Women, on the other hand, strongly prefer the iPhone, with 30.9 percent opting for Apple's handset, while 22.8 percent of women said they want a device running Google Android. For both men and women, BlackBerry came in third while Microsoft's Windows Mobile took fourth.

In terms of age, the iPhone led in all demographics except ages 35 to 54. In that range, 27.4 percent of "likely smartphone upgraders" said they would choose Android, more than the 26.3 percent who said the iPhone.

Among users planning to get a new smartphone, current smartphone owners preferred the iPhone with 35 percent choosing Apple, versus 28 percent for Android. Consumers who own "feature phones" were less decisive, with 25 percent unsure what they would buy.

Nielsen also found that the iPhone has edged Research in Motion's BlackBerry platform in terms of market share. The survey shows Apple with 27.9 percent of the market, while BlackBerry holds 27.4 percent. That contrasts with a report also released on Wednesday, which found that the BlackBerry had overtaken the iPhone in terms of mobile browser usage in the U.S.

In October, Nielsen revealed that sales of all devices running Google Android had exceeded the iPhone for the first time. However, Wednesday's new survey shows total market share among users, rather than current sales.