Android Extends Lead in Smartphone OS Market
Android's market share climbs to 64.1%– up 20.7 percentage points from 2011.
In the smartphone operating system market, Android extended its market share lead by 20.7 percentage points in the second quarter of 2012. According to Gartner Inc., Android’s share increased from 43.4 to 64.1 points, specifically.
In second place with 18 percent, Apple’s iOS market share grew slightly year over year (0.6 percent) and declined 3.7 points quarter on quarter. Gartner attributes this short-term decline to users’ postponing their upgrade decisions in most markets ahead of the upcoming launch of the iPhone 5.
Overall, worldwide sales of mobile phones to end users reached 419 million units in the second quarter of 2012, a 2.3 percent decline from Q2 2011, according to Gartner. Smartphone sales accounted for a 36 percent of total mobile phone sales and grew 42 percent in the second quarter of 2012.
In the second quarter of 2012, Samsung’s mobile phone sales remained very strong – up 29 percent from the second quarter of 2011, and Samsung extended its lead over both Apple and Nokia quarter on quarter. Consumer demand for the Apple iPhone weakened as sales fell 12 percent from the first quarter of 2012 but grew 47 percent year on year.
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