by Al Sacco

It’s an Android World—iOS, BlackBerry and Windows Phone Just Live in It

Opinion
Nov 05, 20122 mins
Data CenteriPhoneMobile

IDC's latest global mobile market share numbers paint a picture of a smartphone world completely dominated by Android, despite the popularity of Apple's iPhone.

Last week, research-firm IDC released its latest quarterly global mobile market share numbers, and the story is mostly the same as it’s been for the past couple of years: Android continues to dominate; iOS and Windows Phone are making slow but steady gains; and every other OS is losing share just as steadily.

IDC Q3 2012 global mobile market share

In the third quarter of 2012, Android took a commanding 75 percent share of the overall global mobile market, based on shipments, according to IDC. Total Android smartphone shipments worldwide reached 136.0 million units, IDC says.

Apple just released its hugely popular iPhone 5, so you can expect iOS market share to continue to grow in Q4 2012. Windows Phone 8 is coming soon, and it should give Microsoft a small boost in the coming months. RIM isn’t planning to release its new BlackBerry 10 OS until Q1 2013, and thefirst devices will probably be released close to the start of Q2 2013, so you can expect RIM’s share to continue shrinking into the new year.

IDC 2012 global mobile market share Android numbers

In other words, it’s an Android world, and iOS, BlackBerry and Windows Phone are just living in it. With such a significant hold on the market, it’s hard to imagine any other platform coming even close to Android any time soon.

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