Apple and iOS Continue to Make Small Gains in U.S. Smartphone Market Share

Apple retained its crown as the number one handset manufacturer among consumers in the U.S., while Google's Android operating system remained the number one platform, according to comScore's latest MobiLens and Mobile Metrix reports. These figures measure smartphone ownership and cover the three months ending January 2014. 

Apple beat out rival Samsung with 41.6 percent market share as compared to Samsung's 26.7 percent. When comparing changes over the measured periods, Apple, Samsung and LG made small gains, while Motorola and HTC fell. Apple's market share continues to grow, but its rate of adoption is slowing. 

Apple may be the top handset maker, but iOS is outnumbered by the volume of Android phones on the market. Apple's iOS platform was number two with 41.6 percent of the smartphone market, while Google's Android OS was number one with 51.7 percent market share in the recently ended period. 



iOS was only the platform to gain ground in the three-month period, inching up from 40.6 percent in the period ending October 2013 to 41.6 percent in the most recent period. Android and BlackBerry lost ground, with each platform dropping 0.5 percentage points. 

comScore measures both ownership and usage across a customer's primary smartphone and tablet. It uses an intelligent online survey as well as both panel and census-based measurement methods to compile its data.

From: macrumors.com

Sony QX10 and QX100 Lenses for Smartphones Leak Out

Sony has a pair of incredible new lenses coming out to work in tandem with smartphones for higher quality mobile photography. The Sony DSC-QX10 and DSC-Q100 are actually lenses with an image sensor built-in.

We’ve seen similar designs with the Ricoh GXR system; however, the novel approach of the Sony QX10 and QX100 is the use of a smartphone as the camera interface. The QX10 and QX100 are controlled by smartphones via WiFi or NFC connectivity.

While the leaked image above shows the unit connected to a Sony Xperia smartphone, rumors suggest it will also be compatible with iOS and Android devices.

It appears that the QX10 will feature a 10x zoom range – given the 4.45-44.5mm zoom range (probably about 25-250mm equivalent). The sensor is rumored to be a 1/2.3″ 18MP sensor – so it is definitely in the compact camera territory.

According to SonyAlphaRumors, the electronics giant is expected to release two models: the DSC-QX10 (pictured above) and the DSC-QX100. The latter will ship with the same 1-inch sensor used with the RX100 Mark II, while the other lens will include a larger 10x focal range and a 1/2.3-inch 18-megapixel CMOS sensor. There's no word on pricing or availability, but with Sony's IFA press conference right around the corner, we'll likely get the full scoop (and hopefully some hands-on time) come September 4th.

Alternatively, the QX100 is rumored to be a direct clone of the RX100 II – complete with a 20.2MP 1-inch sensor. Depending on the execution, this could be a big wow factor for smartphone photographers. That said, it’s a big chunk of lens to carry around in addition to one’s smartphone…

While it is nice to see innovation from Sony, this is just the first round of these devices. If there’s a future in this market, I would expect to see something much different and more compact over the next couple generations.