Android OS hit a record 81 percent of the 251 million smartphones shipped in Q3 of 2013 beating Apple, BlackBerry and Windows.
However, Microsoft’s Windows Phone is growing steadily with 10 million smartphones shipped during the period doubling its marketshare and making it the world’s fastest growing major smartphone platform.
Microsoft made history with its over 10 million units in a single quarter.
According to Linda Sui, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, global smartphone shipments which hit 251.4 million, grew 45 percent this year compared from 172.8 million units in Q3 2012. There was robust demand for Android and Microsoft OS units especially in Europe and Asia.
However, Android’s lead hit a new peak according to Scott Bicheno, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics. In Q3 2013 4 out of every 5 smartphones were Android while BlackBerry’s unit dropped from 4 percent to 1 percent while Microsoft doubled from 2 percent to 4 percent. Apple’s promise on price cut could help it gain marketshare as it has limited presence at the lower market segment.
Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics said Microsoft grew its smartphone shipments by 178 percent annually in Q3 2013 and it is currently the world’s fastest growing major smartphone platform. This is almost entirely due to Nokia’s Lumia portfolio.
OS Market Share in Q3 2013 below.
| Shipments per OS in Millions | Q3 ’12 | Q3 ’13 |
|---|---|---|
| Android | 129.6 | 204.4 |
| Apple | 26.9 | 33.8 |
| Microsoft | 3.7 | 10.2 |
| BlackBerry | 7.4 | 2.5 |
| Others | 5.2 | 0.5 |
| Total | 172.8 | 251.4 |
| Total OS Marketshare in percentages | Q3 ’12 | Q3 ’13 |
| Android | 75.0% | 81.3% |
| Apple | 15.6% | 13.4% |
| Microsoft | 2.1% | 4.1% |
| BlackBerry | 4.3% | 1.0% |
| Others | 3.0% | 0.2% |
| Total | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Total Y-o-Y percentage growth | 44.0% | 45.5% |