Android sitting on 8 out of 10 smartphones worldwide: stats

PanARMENIAN.Net - Software developer Google's Android mobile operating system is sitting pretty on 8 out of 10 smartphones worldwide, according to statistics from Strategy Analytics.

The Inquirer reports that the market research firm has released its second quarter global smartphone figures, which reveal that Android held a 79.5 percent share of the smartphone market during April through June, up from 69.5 percent in the same quarter last year.

Strategy Analytics executive director Neil Mawston said, "The Android operating system captured a record 80 percent share of all smartphones shipped worldwide in the second quarter of 2013. Competitive licensing costs, numerous hardware partners and a large apps store continue to be among the main drivers of Android's success."

Due to Android's dominance, Apple's global smartphone market share sank to 13.6 percent, compared to 16.6 in the second quarter of 2012.

However, Android doesn't have such a lead over Apple in the UK, if recent statistics from Kantar Worldpanel Comtech are anything to go by. The analyst outfit said earlier this week that iOS holds a 30.5 percent share of the UK smartphone market, with Android holding a 56.2 percent share.

While Strategy Analytics' numbers don't hold much good news for Apple, things are looking up for Microsoft, The Inquirer says. While the firm doesn't hold a large share of the market, its Windows Phone mobile operating system captured a 3.9 percent share in the second quarter, the highest level it has reached in terms of global smartphone sales.

Linda Sui, an analyst at Strategy Analytics added, "Microsoft is making steady progress in the smartphone market due to strong support from Nokia. However, we believe Microsoft's WP8 platform still needs to improve in at least two areas before it truly takes off.

"First, the license fee charged to smartphone makers for WP8 must be more competitive to compete with Android in lower price-bands. And second, Microsoft must dramatically accelerate its support for advanced technologies, such as octo-core chipsets, because WP8 continues to lag behind Android in the premium smartphone category."