http://www.news.com.au/technology/no...-1226196496262

TALK to any Apple fan and you'd be left wondering why anyone doesn't own an iPhone.

The tech giant has taken all before it in the past two years, becoming the most valuable company in the world and building an almost unassailable position atop the tablet computing market.

Yet despite boasting the world's most loyal customers and guaranteeing itself blanket media coverage of every iPhone launch, not everyone seems to be coming to Apple's smartphone party.

Google just keeps galloping ahead.

Latest figures from technology research firm Gartner shows the number of phones using its Android operating system has more than doubled since last year.

A total of 60.5 million Android-powered smartphones were sold in the third quarter, giving the operating system a 52.5 per cent market share, up from 25.3 per cent in the same quarter a year ago.

Apple sold 17.3 million iPhones powered by iOS software during the quarter. It's market share actually slipped to 15 per cent from 16.6 per cent a year ago.

Surprisingly, even Nokia still sells more smartphones than Apple, handing over 19.5 million using its Symbian operating system in the third quarter.