Android OS Continues Lead Over Apple iOS in the U.S.

SEATTLE — Operators of MiKandi, the adult company that placed a big bet on Android years ago, are not surprised that the operating system continues to maintain a substantial lead over Apple's iOS in the U.S.

Last week, research firm ComScore reported for the three months ending September, Android's share of the U.S. smartphone market was 52.1 percent, up slightly from 51.9 percent for the prior three months. Notably, over the same period, Apple's share dipped to 41.7 percent from 42.1 percent.

MiKandi's Jen McEwen, cofounder of the Android adult app store, told XBIZ that for porn fans who want to view content on smartphones it is all about the freedom to choose.

"MiKandi put our bets on Android five years ago, before the mobile operating system really hit it big," she said. "The question then was whether customers want a closed system or open one. We knew that anything that puts power back into the customers hands would resonate with people in a positive way.

"The existence of the MiKandi Adult App Store on Android is the ultimate testament to the freedom users have with the OS. We're proud to be a part of that."

News of the third-quarter Android lift, however, may be tempered in ComScore's fourth-quarter report because of Apple's latest rollout. Apple launched its iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus devices in mid September, so the new phones weren't included in most of the three-month period.

But Google and other Android-device makers also have been busy launching their own new phones, including the Samsung Galaxy Note and the Nexus 5.

And just today, smartphone maker LG said that it will bundle a new operating system upgrade for its G3 phone — the Android 5.0 Lollipop — starting in Poland.

Blog site TechRadar said that G3 owners in the U.K. should expect Lollipop to arrive at the end of the month or in December. No time frame for the Lollipop debut has been given for the U.S. and European markets.

According to the report, Lollipop has a new look, with a new menu called Overview showing running apps as a stack of cards.

In the ComScore report for the U.S., the research firm placed Microsoft's Windows Phone in third place with a market share of 3.6 percent, ramping up slightly from 3.4 percent. BlackBerry's market share was tepid at 2.3 percent, down from 2.4 percent.

Among smartphone manufacturers, Apple led with a 42.1 percent share. Second-place Samsung scored a 29 percent share, rising from 28.6 percent. LG was at third place with a 6.9 percent share, followed by Motorola with 5.4 percent and HTC with 4.4 percent.

The ComScore report also revealed that more U.S. consumers are purchasing smartphones. It counted 174 million people in the U.S. who use them, with the stat rising 1 percent from the prior three months.