Everyone may be talking about Apple’s iPhone 4S right now, but Android may be the mobile OS that is actually taking over America, with Verizon Wireless reporting that half of the smartphones it has sold in the last quarter use the Google operating system.
Verizon announced sales of 5.6 million smartphones in Q3 2011, with only 2 million of those iPhones, Apple’s poorest showing in more than a year; it’s believed that that may be down to people waiting for the release of the 4S, something potentially proven with the news that, as of Tuesday, iPhone sales for Verizon had already topped 1 million. (Interestingly, the company activated 2.7 million iPhones during the period; the difference comes from customers migrating from other carriers).
(MORE: Samsung Announces Android Flagship ‘Galaxy Nexus’ Smartphone)
Verizon’s Q3 profit doubled as a result of the smartphone demand, with subscriber growth during the quarter edging out that of rival AT&T. More than 882,000 new subscribers signed up in the period between July and September, up from 584,000 in the same period of 2010.
MORE: Guess How Big Android’s Lead Over Apple Is Now
Graeme McMillan is a reporter at TIME. Find him on Twitter at @Graemem or on Facebook at Facebook/Graeme.McMillan. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.