Microsoft's Windows Phone platform has again surpassed BlackBerry as the third-largest smartphone platform within the U.S., according to new data from market research firm comScore.
BlackBerry has been struggling for a good while to regain relevance in the smartphone space. Once at the top of the food chain, the Canadian company has lost significant ground to rivals in the smartphone market and it apparently keeps lagging behind.
Back in May 2013, IDC claimed that Windows Phone had dethroned BlackBerry and taken the third spot on the smartphone market, but comScore and Gartner did not agree. Nearly one year later, the smartphone market has not changed very much in this regards. Android is still the top platform, dominating the market with 51.7 percent, down half a percentage point from October 2013. Apple ranks second with its iOS platform, gaining a full percentage point from October to 41.6 percent.
The Cupertino iMaker also has the largest market share among all smartphone manufacturers, boasting 41.6 percent. Samsung ranks second with 26.7 percent, followed by LG with 6.9 percent, Motorola with 6.4 percent, and HTC with 5.4 percent.
Microsoft has made notable efforts towards improving its Windows Phone platform and Nokia played a major role in boosting its popularity. Nokia is the leading supplier of Windows Phone-based devices, which explains why Microsoft acquired it for $7.17 billion.
While the Windows Phone platform has definitely improved, especially since it finally supports more powerful internals and larger displays with higher resolution, ranking as the third-largest smartphone platform may not be entirely its merit. BlackBerry's downfall likely smoothed the way for Windows Phone to take the third spot, as the Canadian company never managed to make a solid comeback. BlackBerry now holds just 3.1 percent of the U.S. smartphone market, down a half-point since October.
In addition to platform and manufacturer rankings, comScore also mentioned the most popular apps. According to the firm, Facebook is on top, used on 77 percent of smartphones (among users comScore surveyed), but Google Sites shined in terms of mobile media.
"Google Sites ranked as the top mobile media property, while Facebook was the top individual app," explains the comScore report.
While Facebook took up 77 percent, Google Play grabbed 52.4, followed by YouTube with 49.7, Google Search with 48 percent, and Pandora with 46.4 percent of smartphone app installations.
The report further estimates that roughly 159.8 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones, i.e. about 66.8 percent of the mobile market, up 7 percent since October.
