China surpasses US in number of smart phone activations

China now leads the US in smart phone activations, according to new market data.

A study by Flurry Analytics said that last month China overtook the US in Android and iOS subscriptions claiming nearly one quarter of the world's market.

China's rise in smart phone subscriptions was nothing short of meteoric, growing 870 per cent in the first three quarters of 2011, according to Venture Beat.

According to USA Today, Peter Farago of Flurry wrote, "This speaks to the country's sheer population as well as increasing affluence among a meaningful part of its population."

The study said that in January of last year, the U.S. accounted for 28 per cent of the world’s total iOS and Android activations, with China accounting for just 8 per cent.

A year later China's percentage of new activations worldwide reached nearly 25 per cent, while the US dropped to nearly 22 per cent, said Tech Crunch.

The US still leads China in total number of smart devices.

"Not only is China already the second largest app economy, but also could eventually overtake the U.S. as the country with the largest installed base of smart device users," Farago write, according to USA Today.

The research goes on to say that there may be more than 120 million people in China who could afford to upgrade to smart phone. A number which device makers and phone companies are watching carefully.