Global phone shipments are over 418 million, smartphone shipments hit a record 250 million, and Android has captured a record 81 percent global market share.
All in the third quarter of 2013.
“Android’s domination of global smartphone shipments reached a new peak in Q3 2013, with four out of every five smartphones now running Google’s OS,” Strategy Analytics analyst Scott Bicheno said in a statement. “Android’s gain came mainly at the expense of BlackBerry, which saw its global smartphone share dip from 4 percent to 1 percent in the past year due to a weak line-up of BB10 devices. Apple also lost some ground to Android because of its limited presence at the lower end of the smartphone market.”
Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform continues to grow, although on an as-yet small base. Microsoft shipped more than 10 million smartphones in a quarter for the first time ever in its history, Strategy Analytics said, and doubled its global market share in the last year.
“Microsoft grew its smartphone shipments by 178 percent annually in Q3 2013 and it is currently the world’s fastest growing major smartphone platform,” Strategy Analytics’ Neil Mawston said.
Overall, the market grew 45.5 percent, even faster than 2012′s torrid 44 percent. Android’s market share jumped up to 81.3 percent, from 75 percent last year — and up from last quarter — while Apple’s slid from 15.6 percent in Q3 2012 to 13.4 percent this year. BlackBerry, on the other hand, lost over 75 percent of its market share, dropping to a single digit: 1 percent.