IDC: Android Grabs 80 Percent Of The Smartphone Market, iOS Holds Just 13 Percent
by Joe White
August 7, 2013
It seems the low-cost smartphone strategy adopted by countless manufacturers is continuing to pay off, as Google's Android is said to have secured almost 80 percent of the smartphone operating system market in the second fiscal quarter of 2013. Apple on the other hand isn't doing so well, and instead held a mere 13 percent during the same period, according to data recently published by IDC.
More specifically, Android's second quarter market share weighed-in at 79.3 percent, while Apple's was 13.2 percent. The Cupertino, Calif. company saw a year-over-year change of 20 percent exactly, proving that iOS is continuing to be adopted as a smartphone operating system. Android, however, is growing at a huge rate, and increased by a massive 73.5 percent during the same period.
In the No. 3 position is Microsoft's Windows Phone with 3.7 percent of the smartphone OS market, while BlackBerry is holding on to 2.9 percent. Linux-powered smartphones constitute 0.8 percent of the market, and Symbian OS makes up 0.2 percent.
For Apple to better compete against Google's Android, it's clear that a less expensive iPhone handset is needed. Recent analysis indeed indicates that such a product is on the horizon, with Apple said to unveil the "iPhone 5C" in the coming months.
If this is the case, Apple could move towards increasing its share of the smartphone market both in the U.S., and overseas in developing nations such as China and India, where Android - along with the low-cost handsets which power it - thrives.
We'll keep you updated with further information as we receive it.
In the meantime, see: Apple To Make Significant Improvements To AppleCare In The Coming Weeks, Heartbeats Introduces Your Bluetooth Heart Monitor To A Pebble Smart Watch, and Anchor By Tomfoolery, Inc. Now Includes Evernote Integration And More.
