Is Apple Inc. (AAPL) Closing in on Google Inc (GOOG) in America?

When it comes to the tech industry, especially in the world of smartphones, it is easy to put Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) in the same thought. These two companies are fighting it out for the top spot in many markets, and there is no reason to believe that this is going to change anytime soon.

Kantar Worldpanel ComTech recently took a closer look at how Apple and Google are competing with one another on US soil. More specifically, its study focused on the smartphone market.

Right now, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS and Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android are the two top operating systems in the smartphone market. While there are others hoping to close the gap as the months go by, these two are as good as it gets.

Here is a brief excerpt from the study, showing that Apple is closing the gap on its number one competitor in the United States:

“While smartphone sales overall have remained relatively stable in the 3 months ending May 2013, compared to the same period last year, iOS has grown, with a 3.5% increase during that time.

Consequently, with Android remaining unchanged (+0.1%) to date this year, the gap between the two leading operating systems has decreased, according to data released today by Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.”

This shows that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS is growing while Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android is standing pat, for the most part. If this trend continues over the next year, we can expect the race to tighten up even further.

Here is more from the same study, talking about how much market share each company has at the present time:

“Through the 3 month period ending May 2013, Android continues to lead smartphone sales at 52%. Close behind is iOS with 41.9% of sales. Windows remains in third with 4.6% of sales, up 0.9% versus the same period last year.”

While Apple still has a little way to go if they plan on chasing down Google from behind, its most recent leap helped close the gap. Right now, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is about 10 percentage points behind Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) and its Android operating system.

For the time being, these two companies are going to be talked about as the best of the best in terms of mobile operating systems.

It is Apple vs. Google. Which company do you think is in position to benefit the most in the years to come? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, and take the time to read this article as well.