WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.
2Q 2013: WorldWide smartphones OS market share. Charts.
Despite beating Wall Street expectations in terms of shipment
volumes, Apple's share in the worldwide smartphone operating system
market posted a year-over-year decline during the second quarter of 2013
(2Q13). Meanwhile, Android and Windows Phone both managed slight
increases during the same period. According to the International Data
Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker,
vendors shipped a total of 236.4 million smartphones in 2Q13, up 51.3%
from the 156.2 million units shipped in 2Q12. Second quarter shipments
grew 9.3% when compared to the 216.3 million units shipped in 1Q13.
"The iOS decline in the second quarter aligns with the cyclicality of iPhone," says Ramon Llamas, Research Manager with IDC's Mobile Phone
team. "Without a new product launch since the debut of the iPhone 5
nearly a year ago, Apple’s market share was vulnerable to product
launches from the competition. But with a new iPhone and revamped iOS
coming out later this year, Apple is well-positioned to re-capture
market share."
"Last quarter we witnessed Windows Phone shipments surpassing
BlackBerry and the trend has continued into the second quarter," said Ryan Reith,
Program Manager with IDC's Mobility Tracker Programs. "Nokia has
clearly been the driving force behind the Windows Phone platform and we
expect that to continue. However, as more and more vendors enter the
smartphone market using the Android platform, we expect Windows Phone to
become a more attractive differentiator in this very competitive market
segment."
Smartphone Operating System Highlights
Android maintained its leadership position, with
strong contributions from Samsung and its Galaxy S4. Not to be
overlooked were LG and Chinese vendors Huawei, Lenovo, and ZTE, which
each recorded double-digit shipment volumes in the millions. Combined,
these vendors accounted for 62.5% of all Android-powered smartphone
shipments during the quarter. Still, the remaining vendors within the
Android ecosystem should not be overlooked, as many have developed a
strong local presence within key developing markets.
iOS finished the quarter as the clear number 2
operating system, showing that, even without new product launches,
demand remains strong. Moreover, Apple added new mobile operators to its
camp, boosting short-term volumes and cementing long-term end-user
relationships. What remains to be seen is how the new iOS 7 will be
received once it reaches the market later this year, as much of the look
and feel of the user interface has been revamped.
Windows Phone posted the largest year-over-year
increase among the top five smartphone platforms, and in the process
reinforced its position as the number 3 smartphone operating system.
Driving this result was Nokia, which released two new smartphones and
grew its presence at multiple mobile operators. But beyond Nokia,
Windows Phone remained a secondary option for other vendors, many of
which have concentrated on Android. By comparison, Nokia accounted for
81.6% of all Windows Phone smartphone shipments during 2Q13.
BlackBerry saw its market share decline during the
quarter, reaching levels not seen in the history of IDC's Mobile Phone
Tracker. However, BlackBerry has shown steady progress since the launch
of its BB 10 platform, which has grown to three models, additional
mobile operators, and a greater presence within its total volumes. It is
still early days for the platform, however, and BlackBerry will need
time and resources to evangelize more end users.
Linux, with few vendors supporting the open source
platform and virtually no global presence, barely scraped together a
single percentage point of market share during the quarter. Most vendors
have transitioned to Android and those that remain have limited
presence within specific markets. It should be noted that IDC includes
Linux-branded shipments in these numbers, and excludes Android-branded
shipments. Several other branded variations of Linux, including Firefox,
Tizen, and SailFish, are expected to launch later this year, providing a
potential boost to volumes and market share.