comScore: In October 2013, the number of smartphone users in the United States was approximately 149.2 million, with a penetration rate of 62.5%

In the United States, Apple remains the largest smartphone maker, with its market share exceeding the 40% mark. Samsung's market share grew faster than its main competitor in the three months from July 13 to October 13, finally crossing the 25% mark. Other manufacturers in the top five in smartphone market share rankings include Motorola, HTC and LG.

In terms of operating system platforms, Google Android still ranks first, and Apple iOS ranks second. Moreover, in the three months from July 13 to October 13, Google Android's market share increased more than Apple iOS. The top five operating systems also include BlackBerry, Microsoft and Symbian.

These latest statistics come from market research firm comScore, which surveyed more than 30,000 mobile users in the U.S. In October, comScore said that about 149.2 million Americans owned smartphones (a penetration rate of 62.5%), up 1.3% from July.

Here's how the top five smartphone makers fared in the three months from July 13 to October 13 of this year:

As can be seen from the figure, in the three months from July 13 to October 13, in terms of the number of smartphone users, Apple increased by 0.2 percentage points, from 40.4% to 40.6%; HTC fell by 1.3 percentage points, from 8.0% to 6.7%; Motorola increased by 0.1 percentage points, from 6.9% to 7.0%, ranking third; LG fell by 0.2 percentage points, from 6.8% to 6.6%.

In the last two reports from comScore, Apple's market share was 40.6% and 40.7%, respectively. Apple's market share growth has been higher than its competitors in these three months. However, Samsung's market share also increased in May, June, July, September and October. With the recent launch of the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c, Apple's market share is expected to continue to grow.

It is worth noting that Motorola has managed to reverse its decline and gained 0.1 percentage points, but it is impossible to tell whether this is a blip or the beginning of a new trend.

HTC's decline continues, with its One smartphone failing to deliver the expected results; LG is still bleeding, and we'll have to see if its Nexus 5 can help turn things around.

In terms of operating system platforms, although Apple's market share is steadily increasing, Google still dominates. Android's market share has been declining for most of this year, with the exception of October, as shown in the figure below:

Google's mobile operating system Android's market share increased by 0.4 percentage points, from 51.8% to 52.2%; at the same time, Apple's iOS market share increased by 0.2 percentage points, from 40.4% to 40.6%, the same as its smartphone market share.

BlackBerry's market share fell by 0.7 percentage points, from 4.3% to 3.6%, Microsoft's market share increased by 0.2 percentage points, from 3.0% to 3.2%, and Symbian's market share fell again by 0.1 percentage points, from 0.3% to 0.2%. Obviously, BlackBerry's Z10 and Q10 devices have not helped it turn around, and Microsoft has begun to gradually move closer to the third place.

Android and iOS combined have reached a new all-time high in market share, accounting for 92.8% of the US market. However, Windows Phone has begun to make waves in some countries.