The Android operating system continued to shake up the US mobile phone market in the first quarter, moving past Apple to take the number-two position among smartphone OS, according to the NPD Group. Based on unit sales to consumers last quarter, the Android operating system moved into second position at 28 percent behind RIM's OS with 36 percent and ahead of Apple's OS with 21 percent. Ross Rubin, executive director of industry analysis for NPD, said that in order to compete with the iPhone, Verizon Wireless has expanded its buy-one-get-one offer beyond RIM devices to now include all of the smartphones. Strong sales of the Droid, Droid Eris, and Blackberry Curve via these promotions helped keep Verizon Wireless's smartphone sales on par with AT&T in Q1. Smartphone sales at AT&T comprised nearly a third of the entire smartphone market at 32 percent, followed by Verizon Wireless at 30 percent, T-Mobile at 17 percent and Sprint at 15 percent. The continued popularity of messaging phones and smartphones resulted in slightly higher prices for all mobile phones, despite an overall drop in the number of mobile phones purchased in the first quarter. The average selling price for all mobile phones in Q1 reached USD 88, which is a 5 percent increase from Q1 2009. Smartphone unit prices, by comparison, averaged USD 151 in Q1, which is a 3 percent decrease over the previous year.
