Strategy Analytics: Android claimed 70 percent of world smartphone share in Q4 2012

Strategy Analytics: Android claimed 70 percent of world smartphone share in Q4 2012:

Maybe it's easier being green than we thought. We suspected Android would do well in smartphone market share when Strategy Analytics had Samsung surging ahead in the fourth quarter of 2012, but the firm's newer breakdown of estimated share by OS shows an even larger jump for Google's overall platform -- from 51.3 percent in fall 2011 to 70.1 percent one year later. Apple was knocked down slightly to 22 percent, although it's mostly other platforms that took the bruising. Collectively, BlackBerry, Symbian, Windows Phone and other platforms sank from 25.1 percent of the smartphone space in late 2011 to just 7.9 points as 2012 drew to a close. When just two companies' platforms make up 92 percent of smartphones, it's safe to call the result a duopoly, like Strategy Analytics does -- even if others aren't so content with the idea.

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Strategy Analytics: Android and Apple iOS Capture a Record 92 Percent Share of Global Smartphone Shipments in Q4 2012
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global smartphone shipments grew 38 percent annually to reach 217 million units in the fourth quarter of 2012. Android and Apple iOS together accounted for a record 92 percent share of all smartphones shipped worldwide.
Neil Shah, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, "Global smartphone shipments grew 38 percent annually from 157.0 million units in Q4 2011 to 217.0 million in Q4 2012. Global smartphone shipments for the full year reached a record 700.1 million units in 2012, increasing robustly from 490.5 million units in 2011. Global shipment growth slowed from 64 percent in 2011 to 43 percent in 2012 as penetration of smartphones began to mature in developed regions such as North America and Western Europe."
Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, "We estimate 152.1 million Android smartphones were shipped globally in Q4 2012, nearly doubling from 80.6 million units in Q4 2011. Android's share of the global smartphone market has surged from 51 percent to 70 percent over the past year, crushing Symbian, Bada and other platforms in its wake. Almost half-a-billion Android smartphones were shipped in total worldwide during 2012. Android is clearly the undisputed volume leader of the smartphone industry at the present time. Android's challenge for 2013 will be to defend its leadership, not only against Apple, but also against an emerging wave of hungry challengers that includes Microsoft, Blackberry, Firefox and Tizen."
Scott Bicheno, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, added, "Apple grew 29 percent annually and shipped 47.8 million smartphones worldwide for 22 percent marketshare in Q4 2012, dipping slightly from 24 percent a year earlier. Combined together, Apple and Android accounted for a record 92 percent share of all smartphones shipped globally in the fourth quarter of 2012. The worldwide smartphone industry has effectively become a duopoly as consumer demand has polarized around mass-market Android models and premium Apple designs."
Exhibit 1: Global Smartphone Operating System Shipments and Market Share in Q4 2012 ¹

Global Smartphone OS Shipments (Millions of Units)		Q4 '11		2011		Q4 '12		2012
Android		80.6		238.9		152.1		479.0
Apple iOS		37.0		93.0		47.8		135.8
Others		39.4		158.6		17.1		85.3
Total		157.0		490.5		217.0		700.1
Global Smartphone OS Marketshare %		Q4 '11		2011		Q4 '12		2012
Android		51.3%		48.7%		70.1%		68.4%
Apple iOS		23.6%		19.0%		22.0%		19.4%
Others		25.1%		32.3%		7.9%		12.2%
Total		100.0%		100.0%		100.0%		100.0%
Total Growth Year-over-Year %		55.9%		63.8%		38.2%		42.7%

The full report, Android & Apple iOS Capture a Record 92 Percent Share of Global Smartphone Shipments in Q4 2012, is published by the Strategy Analytics Wireless Smartphone Strategies (WSS) service, details of which can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/9djv7u8.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple, Microsoft, Nokia, Google, RIM
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Via: TalkAndroid
Source: Strategy Analytics

Lenovo's Q3 sees sales reach $9.4 billion, profits rise to $200 million

Lenovo's Q3 sees sales reach $9.4 billion, profits rise to $200 million:

While big chunks of the industry may be feeling gloomy, the artist formerly known as IBM's PC Division keeps on raking in money. Lenovo's third quarter earnings report reveals that the company sold $9.4 billion worth of hardware, keeping $200 million of that back for itself in net profit. It's also seen its Chinese smartphone business turn a profit, and is now eyeing Russia as the next land ripe for conquering. Lenovo's corporate mattress is so stuffed that it probably smells of money, as the company has squirreled away $4.2 billion for a rainy day, or, you know, something else.
Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Lenovo
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Source: Lenovo

IDC: iPad loses a little marketshare, still dominates global tablet sales in Q4 2012

IDC: iPad loses a little marketshare, still dominates global tablet sales in Q4 2012:

While Samsung continues to claim the top spot in smartphone sales, Apple is doing the same with tablets. According to IDC, the iPad (in all its shapes) is still the most popular tablet -- by a long way. Apple claimed a 43.6 percent market share for the last quarter, shipping 22.9 million tablets. The iOS tablets lost 6.8 percent of the market share during the quarter, although this loss is substantially less than what IDC monitored earlier this year. Since the same period last year, that's an increase of 48.1 percent Apple tablets shipped, while total tablet numbers increased 74.3 percent in total. Samsung sidles into second place with all those different screen sizes shipping 7.9 million units and claiming a 15.1 percent market share -- since Q4 2011 that's a huge 263 percent year-on-year increase. Amazon (11.5 percent marketshare) ASUS (5.8 percent) and Barnes and Noble (1.9 percent) round out the top five, while other manufacturers were still able to claim 22.1 percent of total tablet sales -- presumably including Microsoft's Surface, whose effect was described as "muted". The full table of sales and marketshare is right after the break.
(Update: IDC has released some corrected figures. We've adjusted our write-up above.)
Filed under: Tablets, Apple, Samsung
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Via: TNW
Source: IDC

Toyota signs deal to get Nokia's Here Local Search on its in-car navigation units from 2014

Toyota signs deal to get Nokia's Here Local Search on its in-car navigation units from 2014:

Nokia's position in the smartphone market may be precarious (if improving), but its Location and Commerce (read: mapping) division has developed quite the reputation. Toyota is the latest big car manufacturer to pay cash to get Nokia's Here Local Search installed on Mr. Toyoda's in-car infotainment units. The Japanese giant is planning to have the software baked into its vehicles in Europe, Russia and the Middle East by early 2014. At the same time, the duo have agreed to work together on how best they can develop Here's navigation potential even further.
Filed under: Transportation, Software, Nokia
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Samsung buys five percent stake in stylus-maker Wacom, strikes manufacturing deal

Samsung buys five percent stake in stylus-maker Wacom, strikes manufacturing deal:

You don't have to look much further than the millions of Galaxy Notes sold to realize that Samsung is serious about the stylus, but the company's now made that commitment clearer than ever by buying a piece of Wacom. It's not the biggest of investments for a company of Samsung's size, but the $58.9 million it's laid out will give it a five percent voting stake in the company, and a further in with what is one of the world's leading stylus makers. According to Wacom, its share of the global pen tablet market stands at a whopping 85 percent, and its sales of its components for use in smartphones and tablets have nearly doubled from 2011 to 2012.
As for where the new cash infusion will be put to use, Wacom says that by March of 2014 the entire net amount raised from the sale of shares will be invested in "product development and manufacturing and supply system enhancements for products to be supplied to Samsung Electronics," adding that it aims to "expand its relationship" with Samsung even further.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
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Via: Phone Arena
Source: Wacom (PDF)

BlackBerry 10 won't launch in the US until mid-March, arrives in the UK tomorrow and Canada later this week

BlackBerry 10 won't launch in the US until mid-March, arrives in the UK tomorrow and Canada later this week:

Excited about what Blackberry's got planned for 2013? Well US fans are going to have to wait even longer. According to an interview with the WSJ, RIM chief exec Thorsten Heins confirmed that while the touchscreen Z10 will launch in the UK tomorrow and Canada later this week, it won't be ready for the US until March. (Update: And he's just confirmed it on stage) Mr. Heins said the delay was due to the longer time it takes for American carriers to test new devices. No precise date was revealed, although we know that all the major carriers will be stocking BB10 devices on their eventual launch.
Update: Bloomberg has added that the device will cost $599 unsubsidized in US. When it gets there.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, RIM
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Source: WSJ, Bloomberg (Twitter)

RIM Is Dead, Long Live BlackBerry

RIM Is Dead, Long Live BlackBerry:

Starting today, RIM is rebranding itself as BlackBerry. With the official name change, you can say so long to all your RIM-related innuendo. More »

This Is the New BlackBerry Z10

This Is the New BlackBerry Z10:

Here it is. It's the new Blackberry 10. It's official, it looks exactly like the leaked photos and the renders we published. More »

Blackberry Q10: The Next Generation Physical QWERTY Beast Has a Touchscreen Too (Updating)

Blackberry Q10: The Next Generation Physical QWERTY Beast Has a Touchscreen Too (Updating):

Blackberry's QWERTY handset for Blackberry 10 is here. Launched today, BB10 10 does away with a lot of baggage that has been holding the company back, but the physical QWERTY keyboard is here to stay. This slim, lightweight phone is its future. More »

LG may have figured out how to make money selling Android phones

LG may have figured out how to make money selling Android phones:
For the past year, the only company that has consistently made money selling Android smartphones has been Samsung (005930). However, things are looking up for rival electronics manufacturer LG (066570), whose mobile business last quarter recorded revenues of $2.58 billion, a 15% increase from the previous quarter. The Next Web notes that LG's mobile business also "notched a 23 percent quarter-on-quarter increase in smartphones shipments, which hit 7.6 million over the three-month period" and were led by its high-profile Optimus G and Nexus 4 models. While LG overall was unprofitable on the quarter, the fact that the company has seen a noticeable uptick in its mobile business suggests that its effort to ramp up its smartphone sales with high-end devices is off to a good start.

Leap Motion 3D motion controller hands on (part deux)

Leap Motion 3D motion controller hands on (part deux):

We’re not ashamed of admitting we’re huge fans of the Leap Motion 3D controller.  The original video blew us away but after getting a developer demo we were perhaps a little more skeptical if the company could meet its lofty goals as soon as it expected.

Today we took some time out from Macworld to head over to the Leap offices in SoMa San Francisco to check out their latest builds of the device, and more importantly, the software (which is the company’s secret sause) that goes along with it.

The device turns on immediately and you’ll only see two small red lights from the top. The device is very iPhone like in design as you’ve probably noticed.

The ability to pick up five fingers was there immediately unlike in our developer demo and the motion was fast enough to play games like fruit ninja without a hiccup. Here’s a quick 3 minute demo:

What the video probably can’t show you is how responsive and accurate the device actually is. It picks up and detects microscopic movements from all 10 fingers. The software parses the data so that developers can incorporate the movement into their UIs with the SDK.

Leap is incredibly excited about working with developers and we’re already seeing some great applications.

Check a video of the point cloud of raw data, below:

PC industry will face a difficult year in 2013

PC industry will face a difficult year in 2013: As TV and related innovative applications become the spotlights of CES 2013 and attract the most attention, PC players are concerned that the trend will lead to 2013 becoming a difficult year for the PC industry.

Lenovo likely to cancel IdeaPad brand due to internal adjustments

Lenovo likely to cancel IdeaPad brand due to internal adjustments: As Lenovo will adjust its organization into two brand-based sub-groups, Lenovo and Think, in April 2013, sources from the upstream supply chain have revealed that the company plans to transfer its existing IdeaPad business into the new Lenovo sub-group in 12-18 months and will phase out the IdeaPad brand.

Taiwan market: Apple iPad mini far outsells iPad 4

Taiwan market: Apple iPad mini far outsells iPad 4: In the Taiwan market, the sales volume of the iPad mini and the fourth-generation iPad (iPad 4) are at a ratio of 3:1 for mobile telecom carriers' contract-bundled sale and 4:1 for contract-free sales through the retail channel, according to sources with local retailers.

LG Display sees decreased capacity utilization due to Apple order cuts

LG Display sees decreased capacity utilization due to Apple order cuts: LG Display has reportedly reduced the capacity utilization rate at its P9 factory to roughly 60% as a result of a large reduction of 9.7-inch iPad panel orders from Apple, according to industry sources.

Penetration rate of touch screen technology used in LCD monitors expected to increase in 2013

Penetration rate of touch screen technology used in LCD monitors expected to increase in 2013: The global penetration rate of touch screen technology used in LCD monitors is expected to increase to 8-10% in 2013 largely due to the release of Windows 8, according to sources at ViewSonic.

Windows 8 Pro Surface tablet to see initial shipments of 1 million units

Windows 8 Pro Surface tablet to see initial shipments of 1 million units: Microsoft's Windows 8 Pro-based Surface tablet, which is set to release on February 9, will only have an initial shipment volume of one million units, far lower than the four million shipments of the company's Surface RT tablet when launched, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.

Apple announces 128GB iPad with Retina display, available Feb. 5 for $799/$929

Apple announces 128GB iPad with Retina display, available Feb. 5 for $799/$929:

We previously reported that Apple would likely introduce a new 128GB iPad model, and today the company made things official with a press release on its website announcing the product. As predicted, Apple will make both Wi-Fi-only and cellular options for the new 128GB capacity fourth-generation iPad. Apple also confirmed that both black and white models of the device would be available starting Feb. 5 through Apple’s online store, retail locations, and authorized resellers.
Confirming our report from earlier this week, Apple announced pricing for the new iPad would start at $799 for the Wi-Fi-only model and $929 for the cellular model.

“With more than 120 million iPads sold, it’s clear that customers around the world love their iPads, and everyday they are finding more great reasons to work, learn and play on their iPads rather than their old PCs,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “With twice the storage capacity and an unparalleled selection of over 300,000 native iPad apps, enterprises, educators and artists have even more reasons to use iPad for all their business and personal needs.”

Apple also noted in its press release that it currently has over 10 million iWork users. The full press release is below:

Apple Increases iPad with Retina Display to 128GB

Offers Twice the Storage Capacity to Create & Enjoy Even More Incredible Content

CUPERTINO, California―January 29, 2013―Apple® today announced a 128GB* version of the fourth generation iPad® with Retina® display. The 128GB iPad with Wi-Fi and iPad with Wi-Fi + Cellular models provide twice the storage capacity of the 64GB models to hold even more valuable content including photos, documents, projects, presentations, books, movies, TV shows, music and apps.
“With more than 120 million iPads sold, it’s clear that customers around the world love their iPads, and everyday they are finding more great reasons to work, learn and play on their iPads rather than their old PCs,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “With twice the storage capacity and an unparalleled selection of over 300,000 native iPad apps, enterprises, educators and artists have even more reasons to use iPad for all their business and personal needs.”
iPad continues to have a significant impact on business with virtually all of the Fortune 500 and over 85 percent of the Global 500 currently deploying or testing iPad. Companies regularly utilizing large amounts of data such as 3D CAD files, X-rays, film edits, music tracks, project blueprints, training videos and service manuals all benefit from having a greater choice of storage options for iPad. The over 10 million iWork® users, and customers who rely on other incredible apps like Global Apptitude for analyzing team film and creating digital playbooks, Auria for an incredible 48 track recording system, or AutoCAD for drafting architectural and engineering drawings, also benefit greatly from having the choice of an iPad with more storage capacity.
“Our AutoCAD WS app for iOS was designed to give customers seamless access to their designs anywhere, anytime,” said Amy Bunszel, vice president of AutoCAD products for Autodesk. “These files are often large and highly detailed so having the thin and light iPad with its Multitouch display, integrated camera and all-day battery life, is a real advantage for iPad users to view, edit and share their AutoCAD data.”
“The features and capabilities of iPad give us the ability to set a new standard for multitrack recording and editing on a mobile device,” said Rim Buntinas, WaveMachine Labs’ CEO. “Users of the Auria app can play 48 mono or stereo 24bit/96 kHz tracks simultaneously, record up to 24 of those tracks simultaneously, and also edit and mix with familiar tools. With its portability and all-day battery life, iPad has revolutionized recording for audio professionals allowing artists to record anywhere.”
“The bottom line for our customers is winning football games, and iPad running our GamePlan solution unquestionably helps players be as prepared as possible,” said Randall Fusee, Global Apptitude Co-Founder. “The iPad’s unbeatable combination of security, being thin and light, having an incredible Retina display and also being powerful enough to handle large amounts of data enables us to deliver a product that takes film study to a new level and ultimately gives our users the best opportunity to prepare, execute and win.”
The fourth generation iPad features a gorgeous 9.7-inch Retina display, Apple-designed A6X chip, FaceTime® HD camera, iOS 6.1 and ultrafast wireless performance**. iOS 6.1 includes support for additional LTE networks around the world***, and iTunes Match℠ subscribers can download individual songs to their iOS devices from iCloud®.
iPad runs over 800,000 apps available on the App Store℠, including more than 300,000 apps designed specifically for iPad, from a wide range of categories including books, games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel. iPad also supports the more than 5,000 newspapers and magazines offered in Newsstand, and the more than 1.5 million books available on the iBookstore℠.
Pricing & Availability

The new 128GB versions of the fourth generation iPad will be available starting Tuesday, February 5, in black or white, for a suggested retail price of $799 (US) for the iPad with Wi-Fi model and $929 (US) for the iPad with Wi-Fi + Cellular model. All versions of the 128GB iPad will be sold through the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com), Apple retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers.

Is BlackBerry 10 an iPhone competitor? The reviews are in

Is BlackBerry 10 an iPhone competitor? The reviews are in:

The company formerly known as RIM, BlackBerry, today announced its latest lineup of devices running BlackBerry 10. On top of the rebranding of the company, executives took the stage to show off the new 4.2-inch BlackBerry Z10 and a second model launching equipped with a QWERTY keyboard. Some of the early reviews for the devices and BB10 are starting to roll in, and we put together a roundup of first impressions below:
Walt Mossberg, Wall Street Journal:

The Z10 and BB10 represent a radical reinvention of the BlackBerry. The hardware is decent and the user interface is logical and generally easy to use. I believe it has a chance of getting RIM back into the game, if the company can attract a lot more apps…. Master BlackBerry thumb typists might not find it as fast as the traditional physical keyboard, but, for a one-finger typist like me, it was faster and more accurate than either the native keyboards on the iPhone or Android. This is partly because it features predictive typing.

The Verge:

The Z10 is a fine device, well made, reasonably priced, backed by a company with a long track record. But it’s not the only device of its kind, and it’s swimming against a massive wave of entrenched players with really, really good products… . It does everything a modern phone should do, usually without hesitation. It doesn’t do everything perfectly, but it does many things — most things — reasonably well. The problem with the Z10 is that it doesn’t necessarily do anything better than any of its competition.

Engadget:

As a replacement for older versions of BlackBerry OS, BB 10 is a huge step out of the dark ages of mobile OS design. It’s something that finally feels intended for a modern, full-touch device, yet still offers the core productivity focus we think BBID-holders will like. Does it have mainstream appeal? Yes, it does, but we’re not sure a great stock keyboard and some trick gestures are enough to unseat the current kings of mobile devices.

Darrell Etherington, TechCrunch:

With the Z10, BlackBerry has created a smartphone that’s worthy of being mentioned in the same conversation as the latest Android devices and the iPhone. That alone is an accomplishment for a company that has seemed on the verge of extinction for quite a while now…. BlackBerry 10, and by extension the Z10, need to be Cinderella stories to bring BlackBerry back from where it is now, and while extremely solid and with a few very impressive features, I’d be hard-pressed to say there’s anything here that will necessarily convince an Android-loving BlackBerry convert to come back to platform.

CrackBerry:

With the BlackBerry Z10, I can finally start walking around with just one device in my pocket without feeling like I’m missing out. BlackBerry 10 retains the best features of the BlackBerry of old, plays catch up in the OS and apps department to the competition, and with features like Hub and Flow actually push the smartphone experience further. It’s a BlackBerry that is equally good at getting work done and having fun too.

BGR:

As the software capabilities grow with a much better browser, all-touch keyboard and other features, it feels like RIM loses it’s core. The company is forced to try to reinvent the smartphone and in the process just seems to end up making an iPhone, Android, and Windows Phone competitor that isn’t as good as any of them. And in several ways, it isn’t even as good as the BlackBerry before it.

The Globe and Mail:

This is the best BlackBerry I’ve ever used. I think a lot of people will like it and some will absolutely love it… From the moment you turn this phone on, you can tell that RIM has put a lot of thought into every aspect of the device. The phone is sleek, certainly, but it isn’t that striking to look at.. But the fluid, flowing nature of the new BlackBerrys is really the main thing that sets it apart from other smartphone platforms.

CNET:

The BlackBerry 10 OS, looks terrific, and comes with many of the world-class features you’d demand from a modern OS. So it adds a few of its own signature tools for security and business users… BlackBerry lovers who can get past the rookie mistakes will find a polished-looking OS that’s packed with interesting and useful features, but happy Android and iOS users will not find a reason to switch.

Pacific Media Associates changes ownership, name

Pacific Media Associates changes ownership, name:

Pacific Media Associates (PMA), the world's leading projector market research firm, has changed its name to PMA Research. In addition, Nick Rogers, who has headed up PMA’s EMEA research activities for a number of years now, has acquired the assets and obligations of Pacific Media Associates.

The biggest 1080p phone so far: Pantech's 5.9-inch Vega No. 6

The biggest 1080p phone so far: Pantech's 5.9-inch Vega No. 6:

It's been such a mighty, mighty long time since the Vega No. 5 came out to tug on the Dell Streak 5's coattails, but Pantech has just announced the next installment in its phablet series: the 5.9-inch Vega No. 6. The Android 4.1 handset opts for an IPS LCD display, alongside a 13-megapixel rear camera capable of 1080p30 video and a hefty 2-megapixel front-facer. The battery is pretty big too at 3,150mAh, and it's powering a Snapdragon S4 Pro, which means the only thing we're missing right now is some concrete release info -- the official announcement has so far been entirely Korea-centric.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
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Via: FarEastGizmos
Source: Pantech

Sorry Apple, the BlackBerry Z10 Is Hotter Than the iPhone

Sorry Apple, the BlackBerry Z10 Is Hotter Than the iPhone:

I've always hated BlackBerry phones. Disgracefully ugly bricks they were—until the BlackBerry Z10. The BlackBerry Z10 is hot. Truly beautiful, elegant hardware. If the OS is as nice as it seemed at CES, I will totally snatch one up. More »

BlackBerry 10 debuts on Wednesday – strap in for a wild ride

BlackBerry 10 debuts on Wednesday – strap in for a wild ride:
Research In Motion (RIMM) is set to unveil its next-generation BlackBerry 10 platform on Wednesday along with its first two next-generation smartphones, the BlackBerry Z10 and the BlackBerry X10. We're not really expecting any major surprises at the event considering how thoroughly RIM's new platform and devices have leaked, but just because we know what's coming doesn't make the response any more predictable. RBC Capital Markets analyst Mark Sue recommends that investors "keep hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times" as the world straps in for what will undoubtedly be a wild ride.

Continue reading...

Amazon Kindle Fire owns the U.S. Android tablet market with a 37% share

Amazon Kindle Fire owns the U.S. Android tablet market with a 37% share: Mobile app analytics firm Localytics used data from more than half a billion devices and found that the U.S. is the dominant tablet market in the world with 59% of Android tablet sales taking place in the United States; when it comes to Android, the Amazon Kindle Fire leads the way in the states with a 37% market share while the Google Nexus 7 has just 8% of the Android tablet market in the U.S...

Facebook launches Ask Our Chief Privacy Officer, says knowing is half the battle

Facebook launches Ask Our Chief Privacy Officer, says knowing is half the battle:

There's no denying that Facebook's voting system for privacy policies is flawed -- when halting any measure requires enough votes to populate a large country, the attempt at democracy is more of a token gesture. As proposed, the company has launched an Ask Our Chief Privacy Officer page that's a tad more engaging. Fill out a short form and CPO Erin Egan just might offer a direct answer as to why Facebook chose a given privacy path, and possibly tackle any outstanding concerns head-on. Those curious users whose questions are picked will have to wait for a monthly public response to get their answers, so don't consider the page a personal hotline. It might, however, help make better sense of a company whose attitude towards our information is in constant flux.
Filed under: Internet, Facebook
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Via: TechCrunch
Source: Facebook

Android captured almost 70% global smartphone market share in 2012, Apple just under 20%

Android captured almost 70% global smartphone market share in 2012, Apple just under 20%:
Apple may be winning the smartphone battle Stateside, but Android is winning the global smartphone war being fought everywhere else.
Smartphone sales grew 38 percent last quarter to reach 217 million units worldwide, and over 700 million units for the entire year, according to a new report from Strategy Analytics. Of those 700 million-plus smartphones, 68.4% smartphones ran Android as the operating system, while only 19.4 percent ran iOS, Apple’s mobile operating system.
“Almost half-a-billion Android smartphones were shipped in total worldwide during 2012,” the firm’s executive director Neil Mawston said in a statement. “Android is clearly the undisputed volume leader of the smartphone industry at the present time.”

In terms of manufacturing, the global smartphone industry is basically two companies: Apple and Samsung. Apple shipped 135.8 phones last year, all smartphones, of course, while Samsung shipped 396.5 million phones, most of them smartphones. Phone shipments in general reached 1.6 billion in 2012, meaning that smartphones still made up slightly less than half of all phones sold. Nokia still ships a lot of units — 335.6 million in 2012 – but most of them are not modern smartphones.
“Apple grew 29 percent annually and shipped 47.8 million smartphones worldwide for 22 percent marketshare in Q4 2012, dipping slightly from 24 percent a year earlier,” Scott Bicheno, a senior analyst at Strategy Analytics, added. “Combined together, Apple and Android accounted for a record 92 percent share of all smartphones shipped globally in the fourth quarter of 2012.”
The massive numbers obscure that growth, while still torrid, is slowing. While 2011 saw 64 percent in smartphone shipments, 2012′s growth rate was a slightly more moderate 43 percent.
But it’s clear that the market has become a tale of two mobile operating systems: Android and iOS.
The challenge in 2013 for Windows Phone, BlackBerry, and even smaller upstart phone operating systems is simple to grow enough to matter.
photo credit: CanPatsFan via photopin cc

Filed under: Business, Gadgets, Mobile, VentureBeat