For some time, Android has enjoyed taking the lead over the iPhone and its iOS but according to reports this gap has been rapidly closing, as Apple has been catching up with Android as a result of increased sales stemming from the release of the Apple iPhone 4S.
The research firm Neilson recently revealed that in December the Apple iPhone 4S accounted for forty four percent of smart phone sales, which left it trailing behind Android by just two percent. With Apple hot on the heels of Android the gap has started to close in quite rapidly and the figures showed that in the final quarter of last year the number of smart phone buyers in the US who chose an iPhone rather than an Android or BlackBerry nearly doubled compared to the third quarter, before the new iPhone was released.
The research also showed that the overall market share held by Android dropped by close to twelve percent on a month by month basis in the final quarter of last year, which again was just after the release of the newest iPhone model.
Some may be surprised that the newest Apple iPhone managed to close the gap so impressively in a short space of time, given that it offered little in the way in new features compared to its predecessor. With the iPhone 5 rumoured for release later this year, the iPhone may finally end up zooming past Android in terms of market share in 2012.
