New Delhi: Smartphones powered by the Android operating system have captured 85% of the worldwide market in the second quarter, according to Market research firm Strategy Analytics.
Report sais Android Android widened its lead on all its competitors. The share of Apple iOS reportedly fell from 13.4 per cent a year ago to 11.9 per cent, while Microsoft dropped from 3.8 per cent to 2.7 per cent, and BlackBerry shrunk from 2.4 per cent to 0.6 per cent.
“Android is on the verge of turning smartphone platforms into a one-horse race,” said Strategy Analytics executive director Neil Mawston.
In a separate report on the performance of different smartphone brands, Strategy Analytics said Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi has become the world's fifth-largest brand for the first time ever. The research firm described Xiaomi as a “star performer” for capturing a five percent share in the global smartphone market after shipping 15.1 million units.
“Xiaomi's Android smartphone models are wildly popular in the Chinese market and it shifts millions of them every quarter through its extensive online and operator channels. Xiaomi's next step is to target the international market in Asia and Europe, where it will have to invest big money to familiarize western consumers with its unfamiliar brand name,” Strategy Analytics noted.
The report noted that Samsung shipped 74.5 million smartphones worldwide to corner a 25 percent share of the market, a decline from its 33 per cent market share a year earlier. Apple shipped 35.2 million smartphones and saw its market share fall slightly from 13.4 percent to 11.9 percent.
