Google’s Android operating system grew its share of the smartphone market to 81 per cent in the third quarter, equal to 211.6 million phones shipped, according to estimates from International Data Corporation (IDC) – an American market research, analysis and advisory firm specialising in information technology and telecommunications.
Samsung accounted for just under half the Android shipments, it said, adding that Android increased its share from 74.9 per cent a year earlier, while Apple’s iOS fell to 12.9 per cent from 14.4 over the same period. “Microsoft’s Windows showed the strongest growth, increasing its share from two per cent in third quarter of 2012 to 3.6 per cent this year, whereas BlackBerry fell over the same period to 1.7 per cent from 4.1 per cent.”
The IDC attributed the growth in Android and Microsoft to the companies’ pricing strategies, offering a full range of devices for the low end of the mass market.
The market researcher estimated that the average selling price for a smartphone was down by 12.5 per cent in the third quarter to $317. “It comes despite the growing number of large-screen phones, which sell for a notably higher average price of $443,” the IDC said, estimating that phablets of at least five inches already accounted for 21 per cent of the smartphone market in the third quarter. “Apple’s lack of a large screen device may result in a further erosion of its market share in the fourth quarter of 2013.