iOS Positioned to Acquire Android's Market Share

Although Google's GOOG Android operating system has historically held the lion's share of the smart phone market due to its compatibility with a diverse array of phones, Apple's AAPL IOS is slowly undermining its market position.

As reported by CNET, IOS's position in the U.S is slowly improving, as it experienced a 3.5 percent increase in market share as compared to last year.

While still trailing behind Android, which has 52 percent of U.S smart phone sales, IOS rose to 41.9 percent, fueled by its new partnership with T-Mobile TMUS. As Dominic Sunnebo, global consumer insight director for Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, told CNET, "The highly anticipated release of the iPhone on T-Mobile has benefited iOS in the latest three-month period".

ZDNET points to the growing smartphone consumer base that has rushed to T-Mobile as a result of their new OS.

Due to the recent acquisition of MetroPCS, the subscriber base has increased, which could only bode well for the seemingly ubiquitous operating system. In fact, a growing number of T-mobile subscribers are upgrading from feature phones, while many of those that have not, plan to.

The IOS's role in popular culture is a partial driving force behind its expanding presence, for although it is only available on high-end smartphones (The iPhone), unlike Android, it maintains significant market share.

Collectively, IOS and Android software occupy 93.9 percent of Americas' smartphones, highlighting their ologopolistic powers, as opposed to the third largest player in the market: Windows, which has a relatively meager 5.6 percent.