Is Android slipping? Multiple reports suggest so.

ComScore’s has found that Android’s growth is slowing down significantly, while iOS continues to gain share at twice Android’s rate. The research notes that Android does currently dominate with a 50.9% share of the mobile market, compared to 31.9% for Apple's iOS. However Android only saw gains of 0.9% over the past three months, whereas iOS grew by 1.7%.

Even more interestingly is that while Apple did not release any new iOS devices last quarter, several new Android devices did come to market, making Apple’s increase in growth even more interesting. A new report from Strategy Analytics reveals that Apple’s smartphone market share continues to rise, while Android’s market share actually declined last quarter.

From the report:

"The Android operating system lost ground to Apple iOS as Android’s market share fell four points on an annual basis to 56 percent. [...]  its market share is peaking as Apple iOS gains ground. Apple’s US market share has risen by ten points from 23 percent in Q2 2011 to 33 percent in Q2 2012."

The report also makes note  of an overall slowdown in smartphone sales, which Strategy Analytics states is due to a “volatile economy, maturing penetration of smartphones among contract mobile subscribers, and major operators tightening their upgrade policies to enhance profits were among the main causes of the slowdown.”

Apple’s growth and Android’s decline are especially interesting considering Android's OS is available on hundreds of devices, while Apple Mobile is only three iPhones. It is also worth noting that Apple is significantly outpacing Android even as consumers anticipate the next iPhone.