iPhone Now America's Favorite Cellphone

Apple's new 3G iPhone has now become the best-selling mobile handset of any kind in the United States. Meanwhile, the original iPhone has earned the title of the 'most reliable' smartphone.

The iPhone 3G snatched the top spot away from Motorola's RAZR, which had been the best selling phone for three full years. NPD, the group which produces the regular rankings, says this shows buyers are now much more interested in a phone's features than its look. That could be because people want better value as the economy slows. (Source: latimes.com)

Before anyone gets carried away, it's worth bearing in mind the figures cover July-September this year, which is also the first three months the device was available to buy. It's possible this is simply down to an early rush of sales and Apple will be unable to maintain the lofty position.

However, if the firm can successfully push the device as a must-have Christmas gift, it could hold on to the spot for the next quarter at least. It will also be interesting to see what effect will come from Wal-Mart deciding to stock T-Mobile's smartphone (based on Google's open source Android system), particularly as the value chain has chopped $30 off the original price.

Meanwhile Square Trade, a firm which sells insurance for electronic devices, says the original iPhone is now the most reliable smartphone, with 5.6% needing repairs during the first year of ownership, less than half the figure for the BlackBerry rival device. The firm also predicts the iPhone will hold up as most reliable for those who own it for a second year, though the gap between it and other devices will likely narrow.

There's a good chance the 3G iPhone will prove even more reliable: according to Square Trade, around 80% of repairs to the original model came from accidents, often through people dropping it as it was much more difficult to grip than the new version. (Source: trustedreviews.com)

The figures appear to come from Square Trade's own customers, so while the rankings are a fair comparison, the failure rates could be higher (for all brands) than the true figures for all users. That's because people who buy insurance are more likely to be heavy users of a device and may be less careful once they've got the cover.