Android and iOS Continue to Dominate Smartphone Market as Windows Phone Shows Signs of LifeFollowing up on its April report breaking down mobile phone shipments by manufacturer for the first quarter of 2013, research firm IDC today issued a new report looking at shipments from an operating system perspective. The report unsurprisingly shows that Android and iOS continue to dominate the smartphone market with over 92% of shipments during the quarter, with Android's broad availability driving it to represent 75% of all shipments.Apple iOS marked its largest ever first quarter volume on the strength of its iPhone shipment volumes, yet the operating system posted a year-over-year decline in market share and lower year-over-year shipment growth than the overall market. Although demand remains strong worldwide, the iOS experience has remained largely the same since the first iPhone debuted in 2007. That appears ready to change as online rumors and speculation predict a massive overhaul of the user interface when iOS 7 debuts.Worldwide Smartphone Shipments in 1Q13 in Millions of Units (Source: IDC) The gains by Android and iOS over the last several years have come at the expense of every other operating system, but IDC's numbers reveal that Windows Phone is beginning to see signs of life with shipments more than doubling year over year, although its share of the market remains low at 3.2%. Still, Windows Phone was the only minor competitor to gain share over the previous year, with BlackBerry continuing its slide in falling to 2.9%, although IDC suggests the launch of BB10 may bolster BlackBerry's numbers going forward. Linux and Symbian also saw significant share losses as their former supporters have shifted focus to Android and Windows Phone. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories • Google Play Books for iOS Updated with Support for Uploaded Files • DirecTV Updates iPhone App With Voice Commands • OS X 10.8.4 Build 12E52 Seeded to Developers • Verizon Cuts Price on iPhone 5 by $100 for Some Customers • Mophie Introduces New 2,100 mAh iPhone 5 Battery Case • Limelight for iPhone Lets Users Catalog and Share Movie Choices • iMovie Updated With Bug Fixes and Stability Improvements • ABC Begins Live Streaming Philly and NYC Stations via iOS App
http://www.macrumors.com/2013/05/16/android-and-ios-continue-to-dominate-smartphone-market-as-windows-phone-shows-signs-of-life/
