Mobile Wars: Blackberry Overtakes Apple in Mobile ‘Net Usage

For the first time in history, the Blackberry Mobile OS has overtaken Apple’s iOS, at least in the domestic U.S. market mobile internet usage. According to the report from StatCounter, which illustrates November 2010 performance between the major mobile browsers, the BlackBerry OS rang in a 34.3% market share, overtaking’s Apple’s iOS which recorded a 33% share in November.

Another interesting trend is revealed: Google’s Android is rapidly gaining and has almost tripled internet market share from 8.2% last November to 23.8% this year. Over the same period, Apple’s iOS has fallen from 51.9% to 33%. Microsoft’s new Windows Phone 7 has not yet registered a statistically meaningful presence, however we’re only a month or two past the software giant’s big release, so it remains to be seen how it will perform.

This is a huge vindication for Blackberry’s parent company, Research in Motion (RIM), who has historically lagged behind the extremely popular iPhone in both features and popularity. For a considerable chunk of recent history, Blackberry mobile devices didn’t sport a true web browser, and only recently has the company begun offering a modern mobile browser with their smartphones. We recently covered the launch of RIM’s new Blackberry 6 OS which brought so-called ‘crackberry addicts’ up-to-speed in terms of mobile features.

While Blackberry’s command of the domestic market is commendable, that lead is not replicated in terms of worldwide share according to the StatCounter data. Globally, the Symbian OS leads with 31.9% followed by iOS (21.9%), BlackBerry OS (19.3%) and Android (11.6%). Symbian-powered devices are immensely popular across the globe, comprising a 47.2% share of the smart mobile devices shipped in 2009.