The Android operating system, owned by Google achieved a new milestone by accounting for 81.0% of all Smartphone shipments in the third quarter of 2013 ((3Q13). The IDCs (International Data Corporation) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker revealed that this was the first time that Android topped 81% of the Smartphone market, closely followed by Microsoft’s Windows Phone, which grew an amazing 156.0% in the last year. Even in spite of high saturation rates in a number of mature markets, the overall Smartphone space has grown by a whopping 39.9% in the third quarter of 2013.
The IDC study, released on 12th November revealed that a total of 261.1 million Smartphones were shipped during the third quarter of 2013, with 81% running on Google’s Android operating system. Among the leading Smartphone manufacturers that run Android on their mobile devices, Samsung achieved the highest market share, with their Galaxy S4 ruling 39% of all Android shipments made in the third quarter of this year.
With the IDC study showing that Android has a stronghold on the Smartphone market, Google can now give itself a pat on the back, as for the first time in history, Android has hit more than 81 % market share for worldwide Smartphone shipments.
Microsoft should also be pleased, as during the last quarter, their shipments jumped by 156%. Even though the Windows Phone market share is still small at less than 5%, these statistics shows that people are buying Smartphone at an alarming rate, with Windows Phone slowing gaining an edge in the world market. Nokia is the Smartphone manufacturer of choice for Windows Phones, with a staggering 93.2 % of all Windows Phones in the third quarter made by Nokia.
IDC’s Mobile Phone team research manager Ramon Llamas feels that “price” is the one important factor behind the success of Android and Windows Phone. He feels that it is the mass market that is driving the entire market forward, as both the platforms have a large selection of devices available at a price that is low enough to be affordable to the mass market.
Apple has something to worry about, as though its iOS is popular in the US, it is not popular in the world market. In the third quarter of 2013, Apple held 12.9% of the market share, which is a 1.5 % decline from 2012. However, Apple’s shipments went up from 26.9 million during 2012’s third quarter to 33.8 million in this year’s third quarter.
On an overall basis Smartphone shipments went up 39.9 % in the third quarter. However, with the rise in demand for cheaper phones, the average Smartphone selling prices has decreased to $317, which is 12.5 % lower than the price in 2012.
The top four operating systems, their shipments and market share in Q3 2013 (Units in Millions)
| Operating System | 3Q13 Shipment Volumes | 3Q13 Market Share | 3Q12 Shipment Volumes | 3Q12 Market Share | Year-Over-Year Change |
| Android | 211.6 | 81.0% | 139.9 | 74.9% | 51.3% |
| iOS | 33.8 | 12.9% | 26.9 | 14.4% | 25.6% |
| Windows Phone | 9.5 | 3.6% | 3.7 | 2.0% | 156.0% |
| BlackBerry | 4.5 | 1.7% | 7.7 | 4.1% | -41.6% |
| Others | 1.7 | 0.6% | 8.4 | 4.5% | -80.1% |
| Total | 261.1 | 100.0% | 186.7 | 100.0% | 39.9% |
(Source: IDC Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker, November 12, 2013)
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