Android Continues to Grow; Samsung Accounts for 45.4% of Global Android Shipments

[dgstorm]

If you are a fan of Google's Android, and you are also a fan of Samsung, then this lastest marketing info might be doubly good news for you. According to the latest marketing research from IDC, in the first quarter of 2012, Android grew it's lead over all other mobile OS's to a whopping 59% of the total global market. Compare this to Apple's iOS, which held onto 23%, followed by dismal numbers from Symbian (6.8%), Blackberry OS (6.4%), Windows Mobile (2.2%), and others at the bottom, and things are looking very good for Google's mobile OS.

The numbers from this study also indicate that Samsung is doing remarkably well too. During this quarter 89.9 million total Android phones were shipped globally. Of these devices, fully 45.4% of them were Samsung devices! Furthermore, these numbers do not even take into account the fact that pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S III have exceeded 9 Million, and the phone hasn't even shipped yet. This next quarter will likely be a "monster" success for both Android and Samsung. Here's the full press release from the study:

Android- and iOS-Powered Smartphones Expand Their Share of the Market in the First Quarter, According to IDC
24 May 2012
FRAMINGHAM, Mass. May 24, 2012 – Smartphones powered by the Android and iOS mobile operating systems accounted for more than eight out of ten smartphones shipped in the first quarter of 2012 (1Q12). According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, the mobile operating systems held shares of 59.0% and 23.0% respectively of the 152.3 million smartphones shipped in 1Q12. During the first quarter of 2011, the two operating systems held a combined share of 54.4%. The share gains mean that Android and iOS have successfully distanced themselves from previous market leaders Symbian and BlackBerry, as well as Linux and Windows Phone 7/Windows Mobile.
"The popularity of Android and iOS stems from a combination of factors that the competition has struggled to keep up with," said Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst with IDC's Mobile Phone Technology and Trends program. "Neither Android nor iOS were the first to market with some of these features, but the way they made the smartphone experience intuitive and seamless has quickly earned a massive following."
"In order for operating system challengers to gain share, their creators and hardware partners need to secure developer loyalty," said Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC's Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker program. "This is true because developer intentions or enthusiasm for a particular operating system is typically a leading indicator of hardware sales success."
Operating System Highlights
Android finished the quarter as the overall leader among the mobile operating systems, accounting for more than half of all smartphone shipments. In addition, Android boasted the longest list of smartphone vendor partners. Samsung was the largest contributor to Android's success, accounting for 45.4% of all Android-based smartphone shipments. But beyond Samsung was a mix of companies retrenching themselves or slowly growing their volumes.
iOS recorded strong year-over-year growth with sustained demand for the iPhone 4S following the holiday quarter and the addition of numerous mobile operators offering the iPhone for the first time. Although end-user demand remains high, the iPhone's popularity brings additional operational pressures for mobile operators through subsidy and data revenue sharing policies.
Symbian posted the largest year-over-year decline, a result driven by Nokia's transition to Windows Phone. But even as Symbian volumes have decreased, there continues to be demand for the OS from the most ardent of users. In addition, Nokia continues to support Symbian, as evidenced by the PureView initiative on the Nokia 808. Still, as Nokia emphasizes Windows Phone, IDC expects further declines for Symbian for the rest of this year.
BlackBerry continued on its downward trajectory as demand for older BlackBerry devices decreased and the market awaits the official release of BB 10 smartphones later this year. In addition, many companies now permit users to bring their own smartphones, allowing competitor operating systems to take away from BlackBerry's market share. Although RIM has not officially released BB 10, initial glimpses of the platform have shown improvement.
Linux maintained its small presence in the worldwide smartphone market, thanks in large part to Samsung's continued emphasis on bada. By the end of the quarter, Samsung accounted for 81.6% of all Linux-powered smartphones, a 3.6% share gain versus the prior-year period. Other vendors, meanwhile, have been experimenting with Android to drive volume. Still, Linux's fortunes are closely tied to Samsung's strategy, which already encompasses Android, Windows Phone, and later this year, Tizen.
Windows Mobile/Windows Phone has yet to make significant inroads in the worldwide smartphone market, but 2012 should be considered a ramp-up year for Nokia and Microsoft to boost volumes. Until Nokia speeds the cadence of its smartphone releases or more vendors launch their own Windows Phone-powered smartphones, IDC anticipates slow growth for the operating system.
Source: IDC Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker, May 24, 2012
Notes: Smartphone OS shipments are branded shipments and exclude OEM sales for all vendors. Unbranded phones, also referred to as "White Phones", are included.

 

[JArmandB]

Shouldn't that read 45.4% of global smartphone shipments?

I would think that Android would count for 100% of Android :biggrin:

 

[MissionImprobable]

Will be interesting to see how the numbers change as the market in China opens up more. They have a very large number of consumers who just don't have the money for $600 phones, and with mid and lower tier phones being offer by huawei and companies like that I only expect the global share for android to continue to grow.

 

[LoneWolfArcher]

If you do the math that means that Samsung shipped over 40 million Android smartphones in the first quarter, vs. 35.1 million for the iPhone.

So much for Jobs' argument about multiple manufacturers on multiple carriers. Last I checked you could get several version of the iPhone on several carriers. And Samsung still outsold them!

Guess those commercials worked, eh?