Android is marching its way toward outright dominance in the smartphone operating system market.
During the second quarter of 2013, Android captured a record 80 percent of the worldwide smartphone market, research firm Strategy Analytics reported Thursday. Out of the 229.6 million smartphones that shipped during the period, 182.6 million of those were Android-based handsets. Apple’s iOS came in second place with 13.6 percent market share on 31.2 million shipments. Windows Phone was able to nab 3.9 percent share on 8.9 million unit shipments.
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“Competitive licensing costs, numerous hardware partners, and a large apps store continue to be among the main drivers of Android’s success,” Strategy Analytics executive director Neil Mawston said in a statement. “Apple iOS reached 14 percent global smartphone share in the quarter, its lowest level since Q2 2010.”
Despite the decline for iOS, it was still a strong quarter for Apple, which saw shipments rise from 26 million in the second quarter of 2012. Android device shipments were 108.7 million in the second quarter of 2012. All told, just 156.5 million smartphones were shipped in the second quarter of 2012 — 73 million less units than this year.
Strategy Analytics noted that Windows Phone is making some strides in the mobile space, but cautioned that the only way for Microsoft to nab serious market share is if the company charges less for software licensing, making its platform “more competitive to compete with Android in lower price-bands.”