Deadhouse Gates

Apple, Inc.’s popular iPhone 3G has become “the leading handset purchased by adult consumers in the U.S.,” according to the NPD Group. The Apple iPhone 3G dethroned Motorola’s RAZR, long the market leader, in the third quarter. NPD said the “watershed shift” to Apple’s iPhone 3G represents a move toward “fashionable functionality”. Apple’s iPhone 3G can add another trophy to its crowded shelf. On Monday, The NPD Group reported that the popular smartphone surpassed the Motorola RAZR in the third quarter as “the leading handset purchased by adult consumers in the U.S”.

The RAZR had reigned as the top-selling consumer handset for the past 12 quarters. The report by the market researcher is based on more than 150,000 online consumer surveys each month, projected to represent all U.S. consumers 18 years and older. Mobile phones are also seeing some features becoming more common. For instance, 30 percent of handsets sold in the third quarter had a QWERTY keyboard, resulting in the greatest year-over-year increase yet in sales for devices with that feature. A year ago, only 11 percent had QWERTY keyboards. Similarly, 83 percent of handsets purchased this year have Bluetooth, versus 72 percent last year, and 68 percent were music-enabled, compared to 49 percent last year.

Source: NewsFactor