As smartphone shipments surge, the mobile market remains dominated by two operating systems: Android and iOS. Android maintains a commanding lead, with over 68% of all smartphones shipping with the young and robust OS. This, of course, comes at the expense of its elders, such as BlackBerry and Symbian, while iOS keeps its small but steady pattern of growth as it gears up for the release of its next grand iteration.
The 85% total market share that Android and iOS hold is not only staggering, but also a new record for the two. Q2 2012 marked the highest combined market share of Apple and Google’s duopoly, and while analysts swear there’s still room for some mobile OS competitors to gain share, you’re essentially talking about a fight over Apple and Google’s droppings.
The IDC highlights the ups-and-downs of each OS over the last quarter and it won’t take long for you to figure out why Apple has waged all out war on Samsung. According to the IDC, over 44.0% of all Android smartphones shipped in Q2 2012 came directly from Sammy and totaled more than the next seven Android vendors’ volumes combined. That’s a huge chunk!
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: “I don’t see much changing over the next 3 years.” So sit back, grab some popcorn, and enjoy the mobile madness matinee, courtesy of Android and iOS.
Source: IDC
