Another day, another bullish report on the state of Google’s mobile operating system.
According to NPD Group, not only are Android-powered devices now outselling iPhone (as another report indicated earlier this week), but they’re also now besting BlackBerry, making Android the top selling mobile OS during the second quarter in the U.S.
NPD has the race at Android - 33%, RIM - 28%, and Apple - 22% for the period, noting that it’s the first time since Q4 2007 that the BlackBerry maker hasn’t been number one. RIM is pinning much of its hopes on getting back on top with its new BlackBerry 6 operating system and the BlackBerry Torch smartphone, the latter of which was revealed yesterday.
As we’ve noted in our earlier coverage of Android’s quickly rising numbers, it has a few major advantages when it comes to market share numbers, most notably that a variety of manufacturers are building Android devices, a stark contrast to RIM and Apple, who make their own hardware exclusively.