Android is three times bigger than Apple's iOS
New market share figures reveal iPhones on the slide
15 November, 2011 by IT Reviews Staff
Google's Android OS increased its dominance in the mobile operating system market, accounting for a whopping 52.5 per cent of all smartphones shipped globally in the last quarter - nearly three times that of iOS.
Market analyst Gartner today revealed that sales of mobile devices globally increased by 5.6 per cent for Q3, 2011 while sales of smartphones increased by a massive 42 per cent year on year.
According to Gartner's research, Android managed to nearly double its market share from 25.3 per cent in 2010 to 52.5 per cent during the same period in 2011.
"Android benefited from more mass-market offerings, a weaker competitive environment and the lack of exciting new products on alternative operating systems such as Windows Phone 7 and RIM," said Roberta Cozza, principal research analyst at Gartner.
iOS, on the other hand, just managed to capture a 15.0 per cent market share compared to 16.6 per cent last year. This decline in market share is attributed by some market watchers to delayed purchases by consumers who were waiting for the new iPhone to arrive. Total iPhone shipments for Q3, 2011 stood at 17 million
In terms of mobile devices overall, including non-smartphone devices, Nokia still tops the chart with a 23.9 per cent market share, with Samsung next on 17.8 per cent.
Samsung saw its fortunes rise in the smartphone sector this quarter, though, leapfrogging Apple to become the largest single manufacturer for the first time, with sales of 24 million units.
