Google’s Android operating system (OS) has occupied a dominant position in the global smartphone market during the third quarter of 2012.
According to an industry report from IDC, Android was the OS of choice on three-quarters of all smartphones shipped during the three-month period, accounting for 136 million of the 181.1 million units shipped.
Its 91.5 per cent year-over-year growth was nearly double the overall market growth rate of 46.4 per cent, relegating Apple’s iOS to a distant second, despite the high-profile launch of iOS 6 and the iPhone 5.
As such, Android now commands a 57.5 per cent share of the overall market, ahead of iOS with 13.8 per cent and BlackBerry OS with 9.5 per cent.
Ramon Llamas, research manager for mobile phones at IDC, said: “The combination of smartphone vendors, mobile operators and end users who have embraced Android has driven shipment volumes higher. Even today, more vendors are introducing their first Android-powered smartphones to market.”
According to a Bloomberg report from earlier this week, the Android platform now hosts around 700,000 apps, meaning it has almost caught up to iOS in this regard.
