iOS share down 9% during last 12 months in US as Android takes hold

As provocative as a 9 percent year-on-year drop in Apple's share of the US smartphone market might appear, it's worth pointing out that the sector as a whole is growing.

As a result, any share loss doesn't necessarily equate to a fall in sales – and, indeed, the launch of iPhone 4S would suggest that's especially unlikely.

Nevertheless, while RIM has recently garnered much attention for BlackBerry's crumbling hand in the US market, figures from Millennial Media suggest iOS has actually wilted at a quicker pace during the last 12 months.

Trading places

The fact the 'demise' of both platforms has come as Android has ascended to the top is no coincidence.

Google's OS now holds a 56 percent share of the market according to ad impressions on Millennial's network – the same figure it accounted for in September 2011, but up 19 percent year-on-year.

Apple, while securely in second place, has seen its share fall almost 10 percent during the same period, with BlackBerry dropping by 7 percentage points to its current share of 13 percent.

Apple on top?

Nonetheless, Android's rise is spread across multiple manufacturers.

Despite the jump, no one particular handset has been able to knock iPhone off the top of the tree since October 2010.

As a whole, Apple remains the largest manufacturer in the US smartphone market, with a 23.5 percent share – down just 1.48 percentage points year-on-year.

You can read the full Mobile Mix report for October on Millennial Media's website.