Smartphones powered by the Android and iOS mobile operating systems accounted for more than eight out of ten smartphones shipped in the first quarter of 2012 (1Q12). According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, the mobile operating systems held shares of 59.0% and 23.0% respectively of the 152.3 million smartphones shipped in 1Q12. During the first quarter of 2011, the two operating systems held a combined share of 54.4%. The share gains mean that Android and iOS have successfully distanced themselves from previous market leaders Symbian and BlackBerry, as well as Linux and Windows Phone 7/Windows Mobile.
“The popularity of Android and iOS stems from a combination of factors that the competition has struggled to keep up with,” said Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst with IDC’s Mobile Phone Technology and Trends program. “Neither Android nor iOS were the first to market with some of these features, but the way they made the smartphone experience intuitive and seamless has quickly earned a massive following.”
“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. “This is true because developer intentions or enthusiasm for a particular operating system is typically a leading indicator of hardware sales success.”
Operating System Highlights
Android finished the quarter as the overall leader among the mobile operating systems, accounting for more than half of all smartphone shipments. In addition, Android boasted the longest list of smartphone vendor partners. Samsung was the largest contributor to Android’s success, accounting for 45.4% of all Android-based smartphone shipments. But beyond Samsung was a mix of companies retrenching themselves or slowly growing their volumes.
iOS recorded strong year-over-year growth with sustained demand for the iPhone 4S following the holiday quarter and the addition of numerous mobile operators offering the iPhone for the first time. Although end-user demand remains high, the iPhone’s popularity brings additional operational pressures for mobile operators through subsidy and data revenue sharing policies.
Symbian posted the largest year-over-year decline, a result driven by Nokia’s transition to Windows Phone. But even as Symbian volumes have decreased, there continues to be demand for the OS from the most ardent of users. In addition, Nokia continues to support Symbian, as evidenced by the PureView initiative on the Nokia 808. Still, as Nokia emphasizes Windows Phone, IDC expects further declines for Symbian for the rest of this year.
BlackBerry continued on its downward trajectory as demand for older BlackBerry devices decreased and the market awaits the official release of BB 10 smartphones later this year. In addition, many companies now permit users to bring their own smartphones, allowing competitor operating systems to take away from BlackBerry’s market share. Although RIM has not officially released BB 10, initial glimpses of the platform have shown improvement.
Linux maintained its small presence in the worldwide smartphone market, thanks in large part to Samsung’s continued emphasis on bada. By the end of the quarter, Samsung accounted for 81.6% of all Linux-powered smartphones, a 3.6% share gain versus the prior-year period. Other vendors, meanwhile, have been experimenting with Android to drive volume. Still, Linux’s fortunes are closely tied to Samsung’s strategy, which already encompasses Android, Windows Phone, and later this year, Tizen.
Windows Mobile/Windows Phone has yet to make significant inroads in the worldwide smartphone market, but 2012 should be considered a ramp-up year for Nokia and Microsoft to boost volumes. Until Nokia speeds the cadence of its smartphone releases or more vendors launch their own Windows Phone-powered smartphones, IDC anticipates slow growth for the operating system.
Top Six Smartphone Operating Systems, Shipments, and Market Share, 2012 Q1 (Units in Millions)
Source: IDC Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker, May 24, 2012
Notes: Smartphone OS shipments are branded shipments and exclude OEM sales for all vendors. Unbranded phones, also referred to as “White Phones”, are included.
Source: International Data Corporation
MacDailyNews Take: Numbers like these make us wonder, is Apple’s destiny simply to get their ass kicked, at least in unit share, by inferior knockoffs of their own products forevermore?
Is Apple destined to always be the world’s free R&D shop?
The unit share drubbing happened to the Mac. It didn’t happen to the iPod. It certainly seems to be happening to the iPhone. We haven’t seen it yet with the iPad. To be blatantly copied, overtaken, and dominated in unit share or to be copied, but remain the unit share leader? Which situation is the anomaly and which is standard? (Note: Apple still dominates in smartphone profit share. See: Apple’s share of global mobile phone profits: 73% – May 3, 2012)
And what’s the sense of having patents if your IP can be appropriated and exploited for over half a decade now without any meaningful legal victories to stop the slavish copiers?
For first time visitors, Apple’s products came first, then Samsung’s:
By the time you’ve read this far, Samsung alone just sold another 50,000 fake iPhones.
To be clear: What we’re lamenting here is the effectiveness of the legal system in combating slavish copying, patent infringement, and trade dress infringement in the fast-moving tech industry. Every customer that Apple loses to the iPhone-cloners is a more difficult customer to acquire in the future than if they had simply bought a real iPhone in the first place. Hopefully, the legal remedies, when and if they occur, will address this issue as well.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Dan K.” for the heads up.]
Two things that appear to be hidden in the details:
1) This report generally refers to phones “shipped”. We all wonder what that means – or doesn’t mean. But more important is that …..
2) ….”end-user demand remains high” for the iPhone. Isn’t that the only reference in the whole article to actual “sales”? “Shipping” can mean nothing more than devices moving from one warehouse to another, but “end-user demand” cannot mean anything other than “sales”.
. . . and why is “end-user demand” not mentioned at all for all the non-iPhone devices?
I agree with MDN.
My feelings are this, Apple can not sit on this any longer.
Android – if stolen as mentioned should be where Apples’ plan of attack is focused not with Samsung.
Apple can deal with the manufactures later ONCE the death of Android is completed.
Seems Apple wishes Android to remain unaffected.
> Seems Apple wishes Android to remain unaffected.
That’s right (to a certain extent)… Apple’s ability to manipulate the market in its favor is under-appreciated.
I believe Apple DID want Android to succeed. When iPhone was released in 2007, the power players (in terms of mobile platforms) were RIM (BlackBerry), Microsoft (Windows Mobile), Nokia (Symbian), and even Palm (before WebOS). Android was not in the picture yet.
By staying off Verizon and Sprint (in the U.S. market) until iPhone “4.5,” Apple focused on taking over at AT&T while allowing Android to emerge and collectively do most of the work of marginalizing the rest of the competing platforms. RIM lost its leadership position. Microsoft essentially abandoned Windows Mobile and started from scratch with Windows Phone. Nokia abandoned Symbian and adopted Windows Phone. And Palm’s WebOS is just a memory. Also, Apple laid off on most legal action during the early years, to allow Android to take hold.
Now, Android’s work of killing the competition is basically done. Apple HAS extended to Verizon and Sprint (and more carriers in markets worldwide). Apple has stepped up it’s legal actions too, but still by attacking Android phone makers, not Google or the overall Android platform. That’s because DOES want Android (as a platform) to be successful.
Going forward, Apple wants predictable and fragmented Android around to squash other existing and emerging platforms. Kindle Fire (using Android) is doing an outstanding job at the low end of the tablet market. In an Android versus iOS world, Apple ends up making most of the available profit.
Who makes the best Smartphone? …Apple.
Who makes the most profit from the sale of Smart Phones?… Apple?
Who continues to be the bench mark for all things Tech? … Apple.
Which company will continue to prosper beyond everyone’s imagination … Apple.
Nothing else matters ….
Firstly, the iOS market share went up, just not as quickly as Android’s so these early days are nothing to worry about here, the smartphone market itself is still expanding to the point where it will equal 100% or almost that amount. Whilst that is happening and many people are just replacing their feature phones with whatever their carrier or phone shop gives them, then most of them will just accept whatever they get.
But it’s when people choose their phones that they prefer iPhones and in many global markets it’s simply going to depend on their income and a phone that costs several hundred dollars simply isn’t an option. Again that’s not a worry as those people probably don’t have the disposable income to buy apps and be of interest to developers.
Lexus, Acura and BMW are not suffering.
Kia, Hyundai and the others sell a lot more cars.
Who is happier?
The higher end is where you want to be, as a company, as an investor, and as a PERSON. (if you can afford it)
Some things are worth the money: a good mattress, a reliable car, a user-friendly computer that retains its value for several years (Mac).
I don’t care what stupid people do with their money and neither does Apple.
I dont see the problem that MDN sees. What’s Mac-like about 23 % market share? And they’re growing, it’s far from over. Android phones currently cost $100 to $500 (I’m ignoring subsidies here). iPhones sell for $400 to $800. Apple is already absolutely dominant in their price range, but Android’s lower price range pulls a lot more units outside the high-subsidy markets, even if revenues are not as high. What will happen when Apple introduces a $300 iPhone this year or next? And 1 or 2 years later a $250 iPhone? A $200 iPhone? They will gobble up market share, and still have a better profit margin than anybody else. The iPhone will win at every price point Apple chooses to compete in.
The only thing that stop Apple from going there now: They already have 100 % growth. They couldn’t possible go any faster without sacrificing quality and support. You really should be worried if iPhone growth drops to Mac-like numbers of 10 to 30 %.
of COURSE Android is WINNING!
like I bought more than a DOZEN of them!
– three got destroyed by malware. One phone for example everytime I try to phone a ‘funny smiley face’ comes out and my bank account from near zero went to zero (“funds transferred to Bosnia”) . I supposed I shouldn’t have downloaded the ‘free’ copy of Angry Birds with the Thai text.
– two crapped out on me and i couldn’t get tech support: (Phone manufacturer text support dude: “eh, maybe you should call Google for that”. Google support dude : “It’s a HARDWARE problem and if it’s not did you download that Thai version of Angry Birds?” )
– a few I hated as 4G drained the battery in 2 hours. Manufacturer told me “for Best performance of our 4G phone, switch OFF 4G”.
-one with PLASTIC screen got scratched so badly I couldn’t read the text anymore.
– another one I got really really cheap from an Asian manufacturer. (when I called Google to fix an issue they said “you got a WHAT phone???”)
– did I mention a few got destroyed by malware.. ?
– three I replaced because I couldnt get OS software updates. Manufacturer “It’ll come in three months”. That was two years ago.
– I bought an “O” phone from china. It won’t run Android apps…
– One got destroyed by the MUGGER when he took my phone. The big hairy dude screamed: “WTF.. I thought it was an IPHONE !! Samsung crap ….” He threw my android down and stomped it, shook me by the neck and yelled ” YOU better have an iPhone with you next time!” . NOW I know why Apple sells so many iPhones…
Today’s decision against Oracle highlights the problems with America’s jury trial system. It’s broken and relies upon the idiocy of the masses. For years now, I’ve been preaching about the need to get rid of jury trials. A jury trial was obviously needed during the time of the founding fathers, but now it’s an easy out for true criminals who exploit stupid Americans.