An increasing number of handset makers jostling for position boosted Google Inc’s Android operating system to a global market share of 84.7 percent in the second quarter of the year, from 79.6 percent the previous year, a survey showed on Thursday.
Together, Android and Apple Inc’s iOS saw their combined market share swell to 96.4 percent last quarter, meaning there is little space for competitors such as Windows Phone and BlackBerry, according to data compiled by International Data Corp (IDC).
In the second quarter, Google’s original equipment manufacturing (OEM) handset partners shipped a total of 255.3 million Android-based smartphones, an annual increase of 33.3 percent from 191.5 million units, thanks to a surge in low-cost smartphone sales in emerging markets, IDC said in its latest quarterly report.
“With many of its OEM partners focusing on the sub-US$200 segment, Android has been reaping huge gains within emerging markets,” IDC analyst Ramon Llamas said in a statement. “During the second quarter, 58.6 percent of all Android smartphone shipments worldwide cost less than US$200 off contract, making them very attractive compared with other devices.”
“With the recent introduction of Android One, in which Google offers reference designs below US$100 to Android OEMs, the proportion of sub-US$200 volumes will climb even higher,” he said.
Based on IDC’s tallies, Android reached a new record for market share during the April-to-June quarter, nearly doubling its share from three years ago.
While Samsung Electronics Co retained its market leadership last quarter, its market share fell to 29.3 percent of all Android-powered handset shipments, from 40 percent two years ago, as competitors, including China-based Huawei (華為), ZTE Corp (中興), Xiaomi (小米) and Coolpad (酷派), aggressively boosted their shipments, IDC said.
Shipments of iPhones rose nearly 13 percent annually to 35.2 million units in the second quarter, but Apple’s iOS platform saw its market share fall to 11.7 percent from 13 percent the previous year.
Meanwhile, Windows Phone had just a 2.5 percent market share last quarter, down from 3.4 percent the previous year, while BlackBerry’s share dropped to 0.5 percent from 2.8 percent over the same period.
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