Android OS Tops Smartphone Market
136 million Android units shipped, making up 75% of the market.
The Android mobile operating system was found on three out of every four smartphones shipped in the third quarter of 2012, according to a recent report from International Data Corporation (IDC). The report says 136 million Android units were shipped, making up 75 percent of the roughly 181 million total smartphones shipped during the quarter. IDC notes that Android’s growth rate of 91 percent was nearly double that of the overall market and that Samsung again led vendors in the Android phone space.
The report shows Apple’s iOS in second place with 14.9 percent of market share, and BlackBerry in third at just over 4 percent at the end of the quarter. However, IDC points out that BlackBerry 10 is planned for 2013 and says “demand for BlackBerry and its wildly popular BBM service is strong within multiple key markets worldwide, and the number of subscribers continues to increase.”
The largest decline was seen by Symbian, which fell to 2.3 percent – compared to 14.6 percent in 3Q11. The major vendors now supporting Symbian are transitioning to other operating systems and are expected to cease shipping Symbian-powered smartphones in 2013, IDC said.
Microsoft’s Windows Phone shipped 3.6 million units worldwide; however, according to the report, that could change when multiple Windows Phone 8 smartphones reach the market in the fourth quarter. You can read IDC’s press release here.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Kali Linux Waxes Nostalgic with BackTrack Mode
For those who've used Kali Linux since its inception, the changes with the new release are sure to put a smile on your face.
-
Gnome 50 Smooths Out NVIDIA GPU Issues
Gamers rejoice, your favorite pastime just got better with Gnome 50 and NVIDIA GPUs.
-
System76 Retools Thelio Desktop
The new Thelio Mira has landed with improved performance, repairability, and front-facing ports alongside a high-quality tempered glass facade.
-
Some Linux Distros Skirt Age Verification Laws
After California introduced an age verification law recently, open source operating system developers have had to get creative with how they deal with it.
-
UN Creates Open Source Portal
In a quest to strengthen open source collaboration, the United Nations Office of Information and Communications Technology has created a new portal.
-
Latest Linux Kernel RC Contains Changes Galore
Linux kernel 7.0-rc3 includes more changes than have been made in a single release in recent history.
-
Nitrux 6.0 Now Ready to Rock Your World
The latest iteration of the Debian-based distribution includes all kinds of newness.
-
Linux Foundation Reports that Open Source Delivers Better ROI
In a report that may surprise no one in the Linux community, the Linux Foundation found that businesses are finding a 5X return on investment with open source software.
-
Keep Android Open
Google has announced that, soon, anyone looking to develop Android apps will have to first register centrally with Google.
-
Kernel 7.0 Now in Testing
Linus Torvalds has announced the first Release Candidate (RC) for the 7.x kernel is available for those who want to test it.