The Android invasion continues to sweep the globe, bumping up against the 60 percent mark in a research firm survey on quarterly market share.
At the same time, the news gets worse for one-time champion Research In Motion, whose BlackBerry devices’ share slipped to single digits at 6.4 percent, less than half its market share in the first quarter of 2011.
Seamlessness Is Key
More than eight of every 10 smartphones shipped in the quarter were powered by Google’s Android operating system, which is available on a range of devices on multiple carriers from many manufacturers, said International Data Corp., based on its Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.
The company said Android’s method of making the smartphone experience “intuitive and seamless” was the key to its success as competitors have struggled to challenge them. That means ensuring a steady supply of apps and content.
“In order for operating system challengers to gain share, their creators and hardware partners need to secure developer loyalty,” said Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC’s Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker program, in a statement releasing the study. “This is true because developer intentions or enthusiasm for a particular operating system is typically a leading indicator of hardware sales success.”
Apple’s iOS, however, continued to show solid growth, with a boost from 18 percent to 23 percent year-over-year, coming in at an impressive second place given that Apple only makes one device.
Last week Gartner gave it a 56 percent global share.
The news is less encouraging not only for BlackBerry but for Microsoft, whose Windows Mobile and newer Windows Phone 7 devices combined barely showed a pulse with a 2.2 percent share of the market, more or less the same as its 2.6 percent share in the first quarter of last year, despite Microsoft’s partnership with Nokia and its Mango update. …
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