Android's loss is Apple's gain, say analysts

Android phones show signs of peaking in US market, losing 2.9% share in March quarter      

Google's smartphone operating system Android has peaked, according to analysts citing its market share slide from 52.4% at the end of last year to 49.5% March.

According to a report from IDC and a new study from Needham analyst Charlie Wolf, Apple's iOS has gained the most from the arrest of the growth of Android. The iPhone gained 12.3% for a total of 29.5% in the March quarter.

Wolf expects Android to bounce back in the second quarter, but has predicted that the decline is just the beginning of Android's share loss in the US.

Wolf said, "The migration of subscribers to the iPhone on the Verizon network should accelerate this fall when Apple coordinates the launch of iPhone 5 on the GSM and CDMA networks. The iPhone could also launch on the Sprint and T-Mobile networks."

In the March quarter, Apple's iPhone also increased its market share from 17.2% to 29.5%.

Among other losers are RIM's BlackBerry and Nokia's Symbian OS.

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