Apple iPhone, Google Android lead mobile OS market

The Apple iPhone and Google Android powered phones lead the way among mobile OS traffic, accounting for up to 75 percent of total smartphone traffic, according to AdMob.

The OS powering the Apple iPhone led U.S. charts with 55 percent ad requests serviced by AdMob, with 20 percent for Android, and 12 percent by Research In Motion.

The combined 75% rating is a 10% increase over September’s ratings, AdMob notes, showing the demand for Google Android is increasing.  Android continues to gain users, and it is expected to become the No. 2 mobile OS in the world. Estimates state that Android will obtain a 14% marketshare by 2012, trailing only Symbian.

Symbian remains extremely popular in markets outside of the United States, but also has dealt with increased pressure from the iPhone and Android already. The competition is expected to get worse for Symbian, which will steadily lose users over the next three years.

According to AdMob, 36% of overall Android traffic was related to the HTC Dream, while the Motorola Droid (24%) and HTC Magic (21%) round out the top three.

Among RIM BlackBerry smartphones, which remain popular among business users, the 8300 Curve and 8100 Pearl series still drive the company.  The company’s presence with its BlackBerry OS dropped to 12% in October, down 14% from September.

The company who suffered the most was Palm, which saw its OS marketshare drop 5 points down to 5% overall, research indicates.

All of this Android growth comes at a cost, however, as the Android device variety is reportedly causing headaches among mobile developers and app buyers.  Assuming developers and manufacturers are able to successfully ease development difficulties, some analysts believe the sky is the limit for Android.