Android Top New Smartphone App Platform for ‘11

A leading 29% of smartphone application publishers say they will begin supporting the Android platform next year, according to the Millennial Media November 2010 Mobile Mix report. This outdistances the second-most-popular new smartphone app platform for next year, iPad (20%), by a healthy margin. Twenty percent of smartphone app publishers also plan to begin supporting Windows Phone7 next year. No other platform has anywhere close to this level of planned new support, with RIM coming in a distant fourth (12%).

Android Apps Represent More than Half of Platform Mix

In more good news for the Android platform, Android applications represented 54% of the application platform mix in November 2010, averaging 10% growth month-over-month for the past four consecutive months. The only platform with anywhere close to this level of support was iOS, representing 39% of the total mix.

Gaming Remains Top App Category

The popularity of gaming applications on the Millennial Media network continued as gaming remained the leading application category on the network and accounted for 28% of the application impressions in November 2010.

Music & entertainment apps moved up to the number two position in November with 22% of the impression share. Within this category, Millennial research indicates television & movie app impressions have more
than doubled month-over-month, but music apps still lead the category with more than 70% of the impression share.

Automotive apps entered the top mobile application categories for the first time last month. Automotive app impressions more than tripled month-over-month; which Millennial says reflects the increased use of mobile as consumers researched new auto purchases and end-of-year promotions.

iOS, Android Tie as Top Smartphone OS

iOS and Android shared the top spot in the smartphone OS mix, each with 38% of the impressions, followed by RIM with a 19% impression share.

Smartphones accounted for 58% of the smartphone, feature phone & connected device impression share in November 2010. Feature phones and connected devices experienced a 1% and 2% increase in impression share month-over-month, respectively. Together, they represented 42% of impressions in November.

Nielsen: Apple iOS, Android Most Desired Smartphone Platforms

Among all likely US smartphone upgraders from August-October 2010, nearly one-third (30%) desire to upgrade to a device running Apple iOS, according to recent Nielsen data. Android follows closely with 28% desiring this platform. No other operating system approaches the popularity of Apple iOS or Android among likely smartphone upgraders. RIM Blackberry was a distant third, chosen by 13% of respondents.