Women desire iPhones, men want Android smartphones

Apple iOS and Google Android are the most desired mobile operating systems, with the iPhone especially popular among women and Android phones grabbing more men.

This is according to market watcher Nielsen's latest numbers (compiled August-October), which show that about 1 in 3 U.S. wireless phone subscribers now own a full-fledged smartphone.

Also see: The iPhone quiz 

Also today, Web analytics company StatCounter's research arm issued its latest mobile OS usage numbers, which showed RIM's BlackBerry OS edging out Apple's iOS, with Android on the rise.

As for the Nielsen numbers, based on 9,200 people surveyed, about 31% of women want an iPhone and about 23% want an Android phone, with BlackBerry and Windows phones coming next. Men leaned toward Android (32.6%) over the iPhone (28.6%). (A separate survey earlier this year found that women were more likely to date a man, regardless of his looks, if he had an iPhone.)

In Nielsen's survey of different age groups, those aged 18-24, 25-34 and 55+ all would choose iPhones, whereas those aged 35-54 desire Android smartphones.

(Earlier this year Nielsen released survey findings about Amazon Kindle owners being rich and iPad owners being young and male.)

Nielsen also asked feature phone and smartphone users about their upgrade plans. Feature phone users were more undecided than current smartphone users, 60% of which are pretty much evenly split between wanting Apple iOS and Android phones.

Apple iPhone held the largest current share with 27.9%, followed by RIM BlackBerry OS at 27.4%  and Android at 22.7%.

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