In the summer, when Apple usually releases a new version of the iPhone, its overall mobile sales and market share are expected to jump up. However, despite reports of iPhone 4 selling really well, it doesn't seem to be selling fast enough to keep Apple from losing market share to Android.

According to comScore, Android gained 5% market share in the period from April to July 2010, while all other smartphone platforms declined: RIM lost 1.8%, Microsoft lost 2.2% and Apple lost 1.3%.

With Microsoft being in pre-Windows-Phone-7 release limbo, and RIM being on a slow losing streak for quite a while now, it's not surprising that Android is gaining market share on these mobile platforms. But Apple started selling its iPhone 4 late in June, and the bump caused by the new device on the market was not enough to start catching up with Android.

Why is Apple losing ground? For the most part, analysts agree that Apple's sales have been hurt by the lack of contracts with some of the world's largest mobile carriers, such as Vodafone and Verizon. Apple should seriously consider changing this if it wants its iOS to stay ahead of Android.

Still, it's important to look at this data in perspective. With the smartphone market constantly growing (according to comScore, it grew 11% from April to July), both Apple's iOS and Android were actually on the rise — Android was simply growing faster. Furthermore, iPhone 4 was available only in the last month covered by this comScore report. In the next couple of months, we may get a clearer picture of the smartphone market.

By Stan Schroeder, Mashable