Apple's iOS and Google Android swell to 62 percent of smartphone market
Apple's iOS and Google Android have more than doubled their collective smartphone market share in the last year, and now represent nearly two-thirds of all devices sold, according to Gartner.
The research firm's latest figures show sales of smartphones by operating system in the second quarter of 2011. Android, available on a number of devices from multiple manufacturers, is the top platform, with 46.8 million units sold amounting to 43.4 percent of the market.
Gartner's numbers show that Nokia's soon-to-be-abandoned Symbian platform stayed in second place, with 23.9 million units sold and a 22.1 percent share. That placed Apple's iOS in third, with 19.6 million smartphones sold in the quarter, good for 18.2 percent of the market.
The numbers released Thursday by Gartner stand in contrast to other recent sales reports. Specifically, earlier this month Canalys declared Apple's iOS the world's second-largest smartphone platform, ahead of Nokia's Symbian, with a 19 percent market share.
Roberta Cozza, principal research analyst at Gartner, said Nokia retained its place as the No. 2 platform by volume came because of a combination of sales efforts and greater concentration in retail and distributors' sales. It is expected that Apple will unseat Nokia, in Gartner's numbers, in the next quarter.
"We will not see a repeat of this performance in the third quarter of 2011, as Nokia's channel is pretty lean," Cozza said.
Gartner's analysis found that Apple exceeded expectations, thanks in part to the iPhone becoming available on 42 new carriers and in 15 additional countries in the second quarter of 2011. The iPhone is now available in 100 total countries.
The totals included in Gartner's figures represent what the firm claims are sales of units to end users. That's why Gartner's figure of 19.6 million iPhones sold is less than the 20.34 million that Apple actually shipped in the June quarter.
The research firm declared both Google and Apple the "obvious winners" in the worldwide smartphone market, accounting for 62 percent of all sales together. That's double the 31 percent the two combined for in the second quarter of calendar 2010.
Gartner analysts said that both iOS and Android have "usability that consumers enjoy, the apps that consumers feel they need, and increasingly a portfolio of services delivered by the platform owner as well."
In hardware sales, including smartphones and traditional cell phones, Gartner found that Apple's 19.6 million units sold to end users was good enough for fourth place, with a 4.6 percent total market share. Nokia was the market leader with 97.8 million units sold, representing 22.8 percent of the market, while Samsung came in second with 69.8 million sales and 16.3 percent. LG was in third with 24.4 phones sold, representing for 5.7 percent.
"Smartphone sales continued to rise at the expense of feature phones," Cozza said. "Consumers in mature markets are choosing entry-level and midrange Android smartphones over feature phones, partly due to carriers' and manufacturers' promotions."
Of course, total unit sales only tell a part of the story. Last month, an analysis of mobile phone industry profits found that Apple takes two-thirds of all profit in the entire industry.
The research firm's latest figures show sales of smartphones by operating system in the second quarter of 2011. Android, available on a number of devices from multiple manufacturers, is the top platform, with 46.8 million units sold amounting to 43.4 percent of the market.
Gartner's numbers show that Nokia's soon-to-be-abandoned Symbian platform stayed in second place, with 23.9 million units sold and a 22.1 percent share. That placed Apple's iOS in third, with 19.6 million smartphones sold in the quarter, good for 18.2 percent of the market.
The numbers released Thursday by Gartner stand in contrast to other recent sales reports. Specifically, earlier this month Canalys declared Apple's iOS the world's second-largest smartphone platform, ahead of Nokia's Symbian, with a 19 percent market share.
Roberta Cozza, principal research analyst at Gartner, said Nokia retained its place as the No. 2 platform by volume came because of a combination of sales efforts and greater concentration in retail and distributors' sales. It is expected that Apple will unseat Nokia, in Gartner's numbers, in the next quarter.
"We will not see a repeat of this performance in the third quarter of 2011, as Nokia's channel is pretty lean," Cozza said.
Gartner's analysis found that Apple exceeded expectations, thanks in part to the iPhone becoming available on 42 new carriers and in 15 additional countries in the second quarter of 2011. The iPhone is now available in 100 total countries.
The totals included in Gartner's figures represent what the firm claims are sales of units to end users. That's why Gartner's figure of 19.6 million iPhones sold is less than the 20.34 million that Apple actually shipped in the June quarter.
The research firm declared both Google and Apple the "obvious winners" in the worldwide smartphone market, accounting for 62 percent of all sales together. That's double the 31 percent the two combined for in the second quarter of calendar 2010.
Gartner analysts said that both iOS and Android have "usability that consumers enjoy, the apps that consumers feel they need, and increasingly a portfolio of services delivered by the platform owner as well."
In hardware sales, including smartphones and traditional cell phones, Gartner found that Apple's 19.6 million units sold to end users was good enough for fourth place, with a 4.6 percent total market share. Nokia was the market leader with 97.8 million units sold, representing 22.8 percent of the market, while Samsung came in second with 69.8 million sales and 16.3 percent. LG was in third with 24.4 phones sold, representing for 5.7 percent.
"Smartphone sales continued to rise at the expense of feature phones," Cozza said. "Consumers in mature markets are choosing entry-level and midrange Android smartphones over feature phones, partly due to carriers' and manufacturers' promotions."
Of course, total unit sales only tell a part of the story. Last month, an analysis of mobile phone industry profits found that Apple takes two-thirds of all profit in the entire industry.
Comments
Surprisingly even the non techy friends of mine know that iCloud is kind of a big deal thought they can't articulate exactly why.
I can't tell you how many people I personally know waiting for the iPhone 5. I'm one of them.
Surprisingly even the non techy friends of mine know that iCloud is kind of a big deal thought they can't articulate exactly why.
And yet just this week a good friend of mine insisted on buying 3 iPhone 3GS's and the associated contract for his family against my best advice. His attitude was that they're cheap and "an iPhone is an iPhone" in his opinion. A newer one won't be all that different as far as he was concerned.
My contract has been up since January. I'm also waiting for the iPhone 5.
I'd like to upgrade from my iPhone 4 to an iPhone 5 as well, but if AT&T makes me drop my unlimited data plan in order to do so, I'll be hanging on to my iPhone 4 for another year.
I'd like to upgrade from my iPhone 4 to an iPhone 5 as well, but if AT&T makes me drop my unlimited data plan in order to do so, I'll be hanging on to my iPhone 4 for another year.
I might be in that same boat. Such a tactic by AT&T would be smart so long as no other carrier in the US selling the iPhone without proffering an unlimited plan.
I might be in that same boat. Such a tactic by AT&T would be smart so long as any other carrier in the US selling the iPhone doesn't proffer an unlimited plan.
Now that I think about it, I probably will stick with my iPhone 4 for another year regardless. After getting my iPad 2, my iPhone has gone from being my "go to" multimedia device to simply being a "phone"
I would like to get an iPhone, but I need the ability to download files ( mainly firmware & Drivers ) from the internet and load them onto the hardware that we sell via USB transfer..... I do not know of a way to do this with an iPhone short of jailbreaking it.... The Moto Droid I have now does this flawlessly ( Although a little slow ). I really wish Apple would add some basic file handling to the iPhone...
And yes the Android phones are buggy, but they are more flexible....
Definitely going to get a new Android unless by some miracle the iPhone 5 has 4G. The area I live in has great 4g coverage on Verizon and there are still a few features I like on Android that the iPhone still lacks... The speed difference is too big to ignore right now and a faster download speed in a big + in my line of work....
I would like to get an iPhone, but I need the ability to download files ( mainly firmware & Drivers ) from the internet and load them onto the hardware that we sell via USB transfer..... I do not know of a way to do this with an iPhone short of jailbreaking it.... The Moto Droid I have now does this flawlessly ( Although a little slow ). I really wish Apple would add some basic file handling to the iPhone...
And yes the Android phones are buggy, but they are more flexible....
I'd say that's s textbook example of a use-case apple is happy not to support. A very rare and specialised requirement, which would require both reduced battery life and reduced security to accomodate.
It's the car/truck analogy that SJ gave again. You actually need a truck, but most other people don't.
I'd like to upgrade from my iPhone 4 to an iPhone 5 as well, but if AT&T makes me drop my unlimited data plan in order to do so, I'll be hanging on to my iPhone 4 for another year.
If you're grandfathered in, they let you keep the old plan.
OTOH, since I got an iPad 2 (and swiped the SIM from my wife's iPad [the account with unlimited data]), I've discovered I could probably get by with the $15 AT&T plan on my phone
Owning a 3GS whose battery has just about reached the end of its useful life, I'm more than ready for an upgrade to the next iPhone. It will be the cheapest one this time (16GB, not 32 or whatever). Since I got the iPad, I've not used much storage on my phone, either. The iPad is wonderful.
Definitely going to get a new Android unless by some miracle the iPhone 5 has 4G. The area I live in has great 4g coverage on Verizon and there are still a few features I like on Android that the iPhone still lacks... The speed difference is too big to ignore right now and a faster download speed in a big + in my line of work....
I would like to get an iPhone, but I need the ability to download files ( mainly firmware & Drivers ) from the internet and load them onto the hardware that we sell via USB transfer..... I do not know of a way to do this with an iPhone short of jailbreaking it.... The Moto Droid I have now does this flawlessly ( Although a little slow ). I really wish Apple would add some basic file handling to the iPhone...
And yes the Android phones are buggy, but they are more flexible....
This is precisely why Android is popular with geeks, which represent the minority of users. I for one am glad Apple chose the higher path to keep technology simple and useable. It worked, and Apple profited handsomely with it.
Android does a lot of things, none of it well.
iOS does fewer things, but does it all with polished smoothness.
I say, go and get your Android phone. You're not the market Apple is after. May even sting a bit to hear that, but that's the truth and no disrespect intended. For everyone else, lets keep it simple like our lives should be.
Definitely going to get a new Android unless by some miracle the iPhone 5 has 4G. The area I live in has great 4g coverage on Verizon and there are still a few features I like on Android that the iPhone still lacks... The speed difference is too big to ignore right now and a faster download speed in a big + in my line of work....
I would like to get an iPhone, but I need the ability to download files ( mainly firmware & Drivers ) from the internet and load them onto the hardware that we sell via USB transfer..... I do not know of a way to do this with an iPhone short of jailbreaking it.... The Moto Droid I have now does this flawlessly ( Although a little slow ). I really wish Apple would add some basic file handling to the iPhone...
And yes the Android phones are buggy, but they are more flexible....
Fully respect your needs outside of what Apple has been offering, but as another poster mentioned, this does seem like a very specialized case. There may be hundreds, even thousands, of people with similar or identical needs, but is it worth it to support such features to the detriment of ones that the hundreds of millions appreciate (security, battery life, stability)? Probably not. Apple never has been and never will be an all-things-to-all-people type of company. They know what they are, and they do what they do extremely well, and that has been working for them, to say the least.
This is precisely why Android is popular with geeks, which represent the minority of users.
A minority meaning 46% of all users? I love iOS and love my ipad, but Android gives me faster access to data that I need quickly (email/texts/calendar/facebook/music) all through widgets on my home screens. I can glance at my phone and swipe through them with my thumb in 5 seconds. My iPad satisfies my iOS lust and gives me great iOS apps, but for carrying around android works better for me--even if it is not nearly as slick.
A minority meaning 46% of all users? I love iOS and love my ipad, but Android gives me faster access to data that I need quickly (email/texts/calendar/facebook/music) all through widgets on my home screens. I can glance at my phone and swipe through them with my thumb in 5 seconds. My iPad satisfies my iOS lust and gives me great iOS apps, but for carrying around android works better for me--even if it is not nearly as slick.
You'd be the geek part of that 46%.
... but, yeah, the Apple camp (of which I'm part) has to stop saying that Android is just for geeks... it's also for people who are cheap...
(No disrespect intended.)
You'd be the geek part of that 46%.
... but, yeah, the Apple camp (of which I'm part) has to stop saying that Android is just for geeks... it's also for people who are cheap...
(No disrespect intended.)
I paid more for my Android than the iPhone costs. It's not being cheap. Android rocks, and that's why it has such a huge market share. Get over it.
I paid more for my Android than the iPhone costs. It's not being cheap. Android rocks, and that's why it has such a huge market share. Get over it.
See the little emoticon... it says that I was just joking. Get over yourself.
Apple's iOS and Google Android have more than doubled their collective smartphone market share in the last year, and now represent nearly two-thirds of all devices sold, according to Gartner....
I see Gartner is still adding in ridiculous amounts of Symbian "smartphones" into the stats though.
No way in hell are there that many Symbian smartphones in the world. Everyone in Europe would have to have two high-end Nokia phones on their nightstand for these numbers to be true.
Now that I think about it, I probably will stick with my iPhone 4 for another year regardless. After getting my iPad 2, my iPhone has gone from being my "go to" multimedia device to simply being a "phone"
That's actually a really savvy observation - I've seen the same thing at home; the S.O.'s iPhone 3GS was originally used for checking news, gaming, surfing, maps as well as phone. Now it's primarily phone and texting, with some minor map and surfing functions if we're on the road. Otherwise, we're just fighting over who gets to play with the iPad.
If you're grandfathered in, they let you keep the old plan.
Not if the iPhone 5 is LTE. I doubt they would grandfather 3G to 4G unlimited data.
That's actually a really savvy observation - I've seen the same thing at home; the S.O.'s iPhone 3GS was originally used for checking news, gaming, surfing, maps as well as phone. Now it's primarily phone and texting, with some minor map and surfing functions if we're on the road. Otherwise, we're just fighting over who gets to play with the iPad.
Yup. When I got my iPad 2, my wife was all over it. Then a week later, the school system gave all of the teachers on her grade level iPad 2s for class work (still scratching my head on that that one) and she's hooked
This is precisely why Android is popular with geeks, which represent the minority of users. I for one am glad Apple chose the higher path to keep technology simple and useable. It worked, and Apple profited handsomely with it.
Android does a lot of things, none of it well.
iOS does fewer things, but does it all with polished smoothness.
I say, go and get your Android phone. You're not the market Apple is after. May even sting a bit to hear that, but that's the truth and no disrespect intended. For everyone else, lets keep it simple like our lives should be.
I have to disagree. Apple could easily allow you to download files in a sandboxed drop box folder and USB teather only that one share to an external device and be completely safe. Unless of course you do not think Apple is capable of basic file security......( Sorry, I give Apple more credit than that...)
As for the Geek comment, I see at least as many geeks with iPhones as Android users.... Those in glass houses and all....
Android does many thing very well. It is better than the iPhone at: Maps & Navigation, Voice Commands, Voice input, etc.... To say it does nothing well is a blatantly false statement....
Also, since Apple is 100% copying the notification system in Android ( Who swiped it from WebOS) even they are admitting, by copying it, that Android is better at notifications....
Also, since Apple is 100% copying the notification system in Android ( Who swiped it from WebOS) even they are admitting, by copying it, that Android is better at notifications....
Hmmm... Apple hired Rich Dellinger as the new Senior UI Designer last year so I'm not so sure it's Android's notification system they are copying, more so that Apple just knows it needs a better system... and I don't know anyone in their right mind