Google has reached a milestone in terms of market share. Android is on the verge of turning smartphone platforms into a one-horse race.
Google’s open source operating system continues its march to world dominance.
A new report by Strategy Analytics pegs the mobile platform’s market share of smartphone shipments worldwide at nearly 85 percent in the second quarter. The growth is apparently coming at the expense of Apple’s, Microsoft’s and BlackBerry’s market shares.
Apple, for instance, is now at about 11.9 percent, compared to 13.4 percent in the same quarter last year. Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform is now at a scant 2.7 percent from 3.8 percent last year, and BlackBerry, at 2.4 percent a year ago, is barely registering at 0.6 percent.
About 250 million Android-based smartphones were sold in the last quarter versus 187 million last year at the same time.
The only possible fly in Android’s ointment right now could be Apple’s pending release of iPhones with larger screens, according to Strategy Analytics.
Smartphones in general, and Android in particular, are being driven by the growth in the developing world, according to the research firm. This includes China, India and countries in Africa. Smartphone shipments overall jumped 27 percent in the second quarter compared to a year ago, to 295 million units. This is the slowest overall growth in five years.
Source: Newsfactor
