The week between Christmas and New Year's saw record iOS and Android app downloads of 1.2 billion, while the two platforms saw a total of 20 million device activations during the so-called "power week," making it their largest week ever, according to a new analysis.
A new report claims Apple's iPhone comprised 66 percent of all device sales at AT&T's corporate retail stores in December, while Android is said to have taken an 8.5 percent share.
Apple's iPhone grew 1.4% in the U.S. mobile OEM and smartphone OS markets during the three months ending in November, but Google's Android platform continued to dominate and gained 3.1% in its march to acquire half of America's subscribership.
If Apple were to abandon its lawsuits against Android smartphone manufacturers and instead negotiate licensing fees for its patented technology, one expert believes Apple could collect $10 for each Android device sold.
New data from a variety of sources suggests the combination of the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch was enough for iOS activations to top Google Android on Christmas Day by more than 1.6 million units.
Devices running Apple's iOS and Google's Android platforms saw a huge spike in activations Christmas Day, growing 353 percent from average totals earlier in December.
Apple's iOS and Google's Android together have reached close to 55 percent market penetration of the estimated 200 million potential smart device purchasers in the U.S., while the two platforms have the most room to grow in China, which has 122 million untapped potential users, according to a new analysis.
Despite the proliferation of Android devices, users of devices running Apple's iOS dominated mobile online shopping in 2011, spending 19 percent more than those using Google's platform to end the year with a 92 percent share of the market.
The Samsung Galaxy S smartphone and 7-inch Galaxy Tab will not receive the latest version of Android, because Samsung has said its custom TouchWiz user interface, not Google's operating system, is too taxing on the hardware.
Apple is likely to win a patent dispute against Motorola related to photo gallery scrolling on a touchscreen device, as the smartphone "war of attrition" continues.
Apple's U.S. App Store sales handily beat revenue generated from the Android Market in 2011, while strong Chinese growth gave the already immense numbers a shot in the arm and may surpass U.S. downloads in 2012.
Android chief and Google VP Andy Rubin revealed late Tuesday that device activations for the mobile OS platform have reached 700,00 units per day.
HTC Chief Executive Peter Chou revealed on Wednesday that the company is already testing a workaround in order to comply with the U.S. International Trade Commission's ban on devices infringing on Apple's Data Detector patent.
The launch of Sony's PlayStation Vita was marred by technical issues that required an immediate system update, while Google has placed its Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" update for the Nexus S on hold in some regions as it monitors a potential battery drain issue.
Samsung has passed Apple to become the top vendor in the Australian mobile phone market, even as the country continues to be a battleground for a heated patent dispute between the two companies.
Google Chairman Eric Schmidt has teased that his company plans to release an Android-powered "Nexus" tablet within the next six months to take on Apple's market leading iPad.
The U.S. International Trade Commission revealed on Friday that it will reexamine the "no violation" ruling on just one of the four patents that HTC had accused Apple of infringing.
Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet will take share away from Apple this quarter, cutting the iPad's share of the market to 59 percent, a new analysis claims.
Apple has negotiated generous subsidies from mobile carriers to sell iPhones at lower upfront prices, but Google and its Android licensees haven't, leaving carriers such as Verizon to drive up the price of higher end Android phones to make up the difference.
US smartphone penetration in the mobile market is up dramatically, more than doubling its share over the past two years, and Apple's iPhone 4 remains the most popular model.
{{ summary }}
Josh Ong
Mikey Campbell
AppleInsider Staff
Katie Marsal
Neil Hughes
Slash Lane
Daniel Eran Dilger
