Google's Android has been available as an open-source platform for just over one year, but the new mobile operating system has already gained significant market traction: Android users initiated seven times more downloads of mobile entertainment content than iPhone users in the fourth quarter of 2009, according to Myxer.
Meanwhile, in December 2009, visits to Myxer's mobile entertainment site by users on the Android operating system grew nearly 350% from December 2008 levels, compared with iPhone visits, which grew 170% during the same period.
Below, other findings of Myxer's Boombox Report, 2009: iPhone vs. Android, which examined visits to and downloads of Myxer's mobile entertainment content.*
Rapid Adoption of Android Handsets
In December 2008 only one handset, the HTC Dream/G1, was operating on the Android OS, but by December 2009, nine handsets were operating on the platform, according Myxer.
The HTC Dream remained the leader throughout 2009, accounting for 35% of unique users on Android handsets who completed downloads of mobile content from Myxer's catalog in December.
By the end of the year, other Android handsets had gained significant market share as a percentage of total unique users:
- HTC myTouch: 18%
- Motorola CLIQ: 11%
- Motorola Droid: 7%
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Ringtone Downloads by Genre
Users on both the iPhone and Android operating systems consumed a large percentage of Hip-Hop/R&B content, with Android users consuming a much higher percentage (77%), compared with iPhone users (47%).
iPhone users are slightly more likely to download diverse genres: 53% of their downloads were from the Rock, Pop, Comedy, Country, and Other categories.
BlackBerry RIM Dominates Smartphone Market
While the Android has emerged as a significant part of the platform mix, in 2009 the BlackBerry RIM still dominated, accounting for 67% of smartphone visits on Myxer's mobile content site, up from 52% in 2008.
Windows Mobile and Palm both lost share in 2009: Together the two operating systems accounted for 40% of the overall smartphone visits to Myxer's mobile content site in December 2008, but by the end of 2009 they only accounted for a combined 16%––losing 24% to RIM, Android, and iPhone.
* Mobile entertainment downloads consist of ringtones, wallpapers, videos, applications, and games.
About the data: Findings are based on the activity of nearly 500,000 unique registered visitors who completed a total of 7 million downloads of mobile content from Myxer's mobile entertainment site across the iPhone and Android platforms during the fourth quarter of 2009.
