Google and Apple Are Both Winners in Mobile Race, Report Says

It is not very often that you get two winners and two losers in the same competition. Yet according to a new report to be issued by Nielsen, the market research firm, Google and Apple are both winning in the mobile smartphone race.

The report, which is being presented by Nielsen’s general manager of digital, Jonathan Carson, notes that 44 percent of all mobile phone owners in the United States now own a smartphone. This number is up from 37 percent in the United States in May, when Nielsen last reported its findings. Of those who own a smartphone, 44 percent are using the Google Android operating system, putting Google in the lead in the mobile operating system race. Apple, though, is the leader in the mobile hardware race. The iPhone now accounts for 29 percent of all smartphone hardware. About 20 percent of smartphone owners have a phone from H.T.C., maker of Android and Windows devices. The Nielsen report also found that Apple and Google were joint leaders when it came to mobile apps. The report found that 83 percent of all apps downloaded in the last 30 days were downloaded on Apple iOS or Google Android smartphones. Microsoft Windows Phone 7 still has a ways to go to catch up to its competitors.