Nielsen: More People Getting iPhones, Android Goes Flat

Has the growth on Google's Android operating system gone flat?

It appears that may be the case with the latest numbers from Nielsen. In a survey conducted by the research firm, 27 percent of people who bought a new phone in the last three months got an Android. This was actually the same amount percentage of who bought an Android when Nielsen conducted the same poll three months earlier.

In reality, Google's growth hasn't slowed to a halt. This is because more and more people are buying smartphones, so its 27 percent today goes further than its 27 percent three months ago. According to the survey, 55 percent of consumers who bought a new handset in the last three months bought a smartphone instead of a feature phone. One year ago, only 34 percent of new phone buyers were getting a smartphone.

However, when compared to Apple, Google's growth doesn't look as strong. Nielsen said 17 percent of people who bought a new phone in the last three months bought an iPhone. When the survey was conducted three months ago, it was only 10 percent. This indicates Apple is outgrowing Google in the U.S.

Obviously, this may have a lot to do with the iPhone's availability on Verizon. Starting in January, for the first time in its existence the phone has had two U.S. carriers. During the time it was first introduced to present day, Android was able to become the dominant smartphone OS in the U.S.

Despite its recently stability, Android still owns the lion share of smarthphone OS share in the U.S. The company's 38 percent share is ahead of Apple's iOS, which is at 27 percent. Behind those two are Research In Motion's Blackberry OS, which sits at 21 percent. RIM may be the biggest loser of all in the smartphone race. Its growth has actually decreased. Three months ago, 11 percent of all new phone buyers got a Blackberry. This time around, it's only six percent of new phone buyers.

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