Although Apple iOS devices such as the iPad 4 and iPad mini are wildly popular, it has been the case for quite some time that Google's Android operating system has a larger market share due in part to the fact that it is available on so many more tablets and smartphones. By contrast, iOS is only licensed for Apple products.

But according to new data released by Kantar Worldpanel, a consumer technology research firm, Apple has picked up more users over the last quarter and has erased some of the gap between its share of the market and that of Android. Through a three month period ending May 2013, iOS experienced an increase in sales of 3.1 percent to account for a total of 41.9 percent of smartphones while Android remained flat at 52 percent.

Kantar credited the rise in iOS ownership to the fact that T-Mobile is now offering iPhones and iPads to its customers, as these had previously only been available to American consumers through mobile phone service providers Verizon, AT&T and Sprint.

"iOS' strength on T-Mobile appears to be the ability to attract first time smartphone buyers, upgrading from a feature phone," Kantar Worldpanel ComTech global consumer insight director Dominic Sunnebo said in a statement. "Of T-Mobile consumers who bought an iOS device since it launched on the carrier, 53% had previously owned a feature phone, well above the market average of 45% of iOS owners who previously owned a feature phone."

Once you've taken an Apple mobile device for a spin, it's easy to see why these products are so popular. The sleek, intuitive interface of iOS and the seamless connection between hardware and software make these devices perfect for almost any user, whether a businessman, a personal user, a parent or a child. Check out the latest Apple products at PortableOne.