Android Taking Over iPhone Big Time

For the first time ever, sales of Android handsets have outpaced those of the Apple iPhone.

According to Nielsen (via GigaOm), Google Android phones now account for 27 percent of U.S. smartphone sales among new phone buyers, eclipsing the 23 percent share held by the iPhone.

The numbers cover a rolling six-month period and are reported quarterly. Based on the chart embedded in the linked story, Android popularity has skyrocketed, from a mere 6 percent share in the fourth quarter of 2009 (when it was half of even Windows Mobile’s pathetic market share) to 27 percent today. The iPhone slipped from 34 percent in that quarter to 23 percent.

That said, the top spot remains — as it has been for over a year — occupied by RIM, which holds a 33 percent share of cell phone buys.

As GigaOm notes, the phenomenal rise of Android — up 886 percent worldwide since a year ago — is a rare occurrence in the tech business, since the Android platform is now two years old and reaching a maturity level that should actually indicate a period of slowing growth. The site suggests, however, that compared with competitors like the iPhone and BlackBerry operating systems, Android is still just a baby.

What’s the outlook for this space? RIM has been slipping for months (it held a 45 percent share in the second quarter of 2009), and Apple could always get a second wind. Will RIM’s new version 6 operating system reverse its slide? Will Android — which suffers from more than its fair share of dissatisfied users — keep surging? Will those free iPhone Bumper cases increase its numbers?

I for one, am very satisfied with my Blackberry Bold, iPhone 4 and Droid X. Who needs more when