The vice-like grip of the iOS and Android operating systems is only getting tighter, according to new sales figures published late last week.

New data from Comscore, released on Friday, showed Android leading the way at the end of May 2013 with 52.4 per cent of all US sales, up from 51.7 per cent at the end of February.

iOS' share of the US market rose 0.3 per cent to 39.2 percent during same time period.

Despite the launch of BlackBerry's new BB10 operating system and the best selection of Windows Phone 8 devices yet, both of those platforms saw their share fall to 4.8 and 3.0 per cent respectively.

Numbers don't lie

It was a similar story for hardware sales. Apple's iPhone led the way with the 32.9 per cent, closely followed by Samsung which enjoyed a sizeable 1.7 per cent jump to 23 per cent of sales.

The next three, HTC, Motorola and LG all endured a fall in sales during the three month period, all of which remain under 10 per cent.

Samsung's continued rise will have been fuelled by the launch of its new flagship Galaxy S4 handset but, worryingly for HTC, its critically acclaimed HTC One release couldn't stem the the drop-off in its share.

There is, of course, hope for those competing operating systems and manufacturers, but until the numbers start going in the other direction, it's difficult to be too positive. They have to start gaining at some point, right?

Apple has signed an agreement with Taiwanese semiconductor company TSMC to build mobile processors for its iOS devices, the Wall Street Journal has reported.

The rival chip-maker will eventually take over from Samsung as Apple's key supplier, eventually phasing out a business relationship destroyed by endless patent infringement lawsuits between the two.

The report claimed TSMC will begin building chips in 2014, although Samsung will continue to be the primary supplier for that year and perhaps beyond.

Apple and TSMC had been in talks since 2010, the report said, but were finally able to agree a deal after the latter resolved "glitches preventing the chips from meeting Apple's speed and power standards."

End of an era?

The procurement of a new chip supplier could be the final piece in the puzzle for Apple as it seeks to lessen its reliance on Samsung as a component manufacturer.

It no longer buys the displays for iOS devices from Samsung and has been spreading the wealth by finding other firms to manufacturer RAM and flash memory for iPhones and iPads.

Apple and Samsung had done great business together for many years before Samsung emerged as a genuine contender to the iPhones dominance with its Galaxy smartphone range.

Apple strongly alleged that Samsung got its leg-up by "blatantly copying" its own devices, leading to countless suits and counter suits around the world.

Although they make plenty of money together, it seems neither is too keen on lining the other's pockets regardless of how mutual beneficial the business relationship has been.

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There's trouble brewing between EE and Vodafone as questions are raised over the latter's decision to brand two McLaren Mercedes cars at this weekend's British Grand Prix with "Ultrafast 4G" - even though Vodafone is yet to launch its LTE service.

EE is currently the only network in the UK which offers a 4G service and the likes of O2, Three and Vodafone are still a few months off delivering rival solutions to customers.

According to Vodafone, EE's Chief of Brand and Communications Steven Day contacted the network late Friday night "demanding" that Button and Perez's cars be garaged and the 4G livery removed - although EE claims this isn't what happened.

Clue's in the name

A Vodafone UK spokesperson told TechRadar: "This is sponsorship, not advertising. The clue is in the team's name: Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. We're using the cars to build further awareness of our forthcoming ultrafast 4G service.

"It's a 'static promotion', albeit on a car that can travel at over 200mph. Consumers know Vodafone's ultrafast 4G is coming. We've said very publicly it will be here by the late summer. Even if someone seeing the car wasn't aware of that, there is no 'call to action' on it."

However over at EE it's claimed that there was no demand made, rather it merely enquired why Vodafone had taken the decision it had.

Vodafone 'not even on the grid'

TechRadar was told by an EE spokesperson: "We're far from demanding Jenson get garaged, we're right behind him for tomorrow's race. We simply asked why advertise a product that you don't have?

"When it comes to 4G mobile networks, Vodafone UK isn't even on the grid. "

It's probably fair to say we're never going to find out the exact words exchanged between the two networks late last night, but what it does tell us is the UK's 4G market is going to seriously hot up when the remaining networks get on board.