iOS and Android mobile operating systems roughly neck and neck in the US

Chart of the Day: iOS captures 45% of US Smartphone market in Q3 2016, but Android leads with 51% of users

Us marketers are used to hearing our ilk banging on about the need to optimize for mobile. If you are thinking about going that step further with mobile marketing and developing your own mobile app, you'll want to know which mobile operating system you should build your app for. The latest third quarter results from the US market point to a more or less equal divide between Android and iOS operating systems, with a slightly larger market share going to Android but iOS capturing a healthy 45% of the market.

This shows the immense popularity of Apple's iPhone, which tends to be purchased by higher income demographics and thus visitors using them tend to have higher average order values than visitors using other devices. The chart is also interesting in showing how the market is almost completely divided between iOS and Android, with other mobile operating being very much bit players. Clearly, if you have the budget it's best to develop an Android and iOS version of your app, but unless you are a huge brand there is very little need to splash out on developing Windows and BlackBerry versions too.

• Source: Nielson
• Sample: 9,000 US mobile users aged 18+
• Recommended Resource: Mobile Marketing Strategy Guide

Contributer : Smart Insights