It may not matter soon what mobile operating system takes third place. Android and iOS already dominate the smartphone market and the latest numbers show that Android shows no sign of relinquishing the top spot any time soon. Market research firm Strategy Analytics reports that global smartphone shipments topped 230 million in Q2 2013 and that Android accounted for 80 percent of those.
Scott Bicheno, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, “Global smartphone shipments grew 47 percent annually from 156.5 million units in Q2 2012 to 229.6 million in Q2 2013. Growth was driven by strong demand for Android models across all price-tiers in developed and developing markets, such as the US, China and Brazil. Android now accounts for an impressive 8 in 10 of all smartphones shipped on the planet.”
Strategy Analytics attributes Android’s success to a number of factors including competitive licensing costs (it’s effectively free), a large app store and support from a wide range of hardware partners.
Apple, maintaining its second place, had a 14 percent market share, its lowest since Q2 2010. Microsoft took third place with a 4 percent share, its highest level in three years, due in large part to Nokia’s success with the platform. But Strategy Analytics warns that Microsoft must do more to make further inroads.
| Global Smartphone OS Shipments (Millions of Units) | Q2 ’12 | Q2 ’13 |
| Android | 108.7 | 182.6 |
| Apple iOS | 26 | 31.2 |
| Microsoft | 5.6 | 8.9 |
| Others | 16.2 | 6.9 |
| Total | 156.5 | 229.6 |
| Global Smartphone OS Marketshare % | Q2 ’12 | Q2 ’13 |
| Android | 69.50% | 79.50% |
| Apple iOS | 16.60% | 13.60% |
| Microsoft | 3.60% | 3.90% |
| Others | 10.40% | 3.00% |
| Total | 100.00% | 100.00% |
| Total Growth Year-over-Year % | 41.60% | 46.70% |
| Source: Strategy Analytics, August 2013 |
Just how far do you think that Android’s domination can go? Let us know below.
Source : Strategy Analytics