Hasta La Gadget!

The NPD group released new numbers this week to show that the winter launch of the iPhone 4 on Verizon Wireless managed to rake in enough sales to boost Apple to the number 3 spot among US phone manufacturers of any type. Apple comes in at 14%, trailing LG (18%,) and Samsung (23%.) In comparison, Android’s market share declined a bit from 53% to 50% across all manufacturers due to the availably of the iPhone for Verizon Wireless customers.  

Research in Motion (RIM,) the makers of BlackBerry mobile phones, saw its market share drop five points, and now ties Apple at 14% with its numbers continuing to decline. NPD also noted that the fact that the iPhone is now on two carriers – the nation’s largest ones, to boot – also cemented the iPhone 4’s place as the best-selling single phone in the US. Second to the iPhone 4? The iPhone 3GS on AT&T, which has seen a price drop to $49 in the wake of the iPhone 4’s launch on Verizon Wireless. 

With this week’s launch of the white iPhone 4, those numbers are likely to continue to rise. NPD claims that many new iPhone customers coming out of the woodworks are a combination of first-time smartphone buyers, Verizon Wireless customers who wanted an iPhone but didn’t want to switch to AT&T, and to a lesser extent, converts from BlackBerry or Android phones. 

[via Electronista]