Android and iOS smartphones extend advantage in global markets

26/05/2012

Smartphones powered by both Android and iOS mobile operating systems accounted for more than 80 per cent of the mobile phones shipped in the first quarter of 2012.

According to the International Data Corporation's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, the operating systems held shares of 59 and 23 per cent respectively.

These share gains means that Android and iOS have successfully distanced themselves from previous market leasers Symbian and BlackBerry, which continue to fall.

Android finished the three-month period as the overall leader among mobile operating systems, accounting for more than half of all shipments.

Despite this, the search giant's most recent figures found that the Symbian operating system is the number one platform in China, though these only took into account internet-connected devices.

"Neither Android nor iOS were the first to market with some of these features, but the way they made the smartphone experience intuitive and seamless has quickly earned a massive following," senior research analyst with IDC's Mobile Phone Technology and Trends programme Ramon Llamas said.

Posted by Claire Marshall

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