The Android and iOS market shares once again show how the two mobile operating systems dominate worldwide.
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), the first quarter saw Apple and Google's mobile platform account for 92.3 percent of all smartphone operating systems worldwide.
When breaking down Android and iOS figures, it is the former that wins the battle. Android accounted for a massive 75 percent of the first quarter market share with 162.1 million shipment volumes reported. Android's market share is significantly up compared to the first quarter of 2012, which stood at 59.1 percent while the shipment volume was nearly half at 90.3 million.
Apple's iOS garnered 17.3 percent of the first quarter market share this year, including 37.4 million shipments. Unlike Android, iOS decreased its share compared to last year. The first quarter of 2012 saw iOS with a market share of 23 percent and 35.1 million shipments.
Microsoft also has a reason to celebrate. The Windows Phone platform saw a good increase in both market share and shipment volumes. The first quarter of 2013 saw Windows Phone's market share at 3.2 percent with seven million shipments sold, enough to finish at third place behind iOS. In comparison to 2012, Windows Phone had a market share of two percent and only three million shipments.
"Windows Phone claiming the third spot is a first and helps validate the direction taken by Microsoft and key partner Nokia," said Senior Research Analyst with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker Kevin Restivo. "Given the relatively low volume generated, the Windows Phone camp will need to show further gains to solidify its status as an alterative to Android or iOS."
The BlackBerry OS suffered from not-so-great figures. The BlackBerry OS' market share is 2.9 percent for the first quarter with 6.3 million shipments, down from the 6.4 percent market share and 9.7 million shipments in 2012. The BlackBerry OS numbers were enough for it to fall to fourth place from last year's third.
"Underpinning the worldwide smartphone market is the constantly shifting operating system landscape," said IDC's Mobile Phone Team's Research Manager Ramon Llamas. "Android and iOS accounted for more than the lion's share of smartphones in the first quarter, but a closer examination of the other platforms reveals turnaround and demand for alternatives. Windows Phone has benefited from Nokia's participation, and BlackBerry's new BB10 devices have already hit a million units shipped in its first quarter of availability."
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