There doesn"t seem to be a way to slow down the massive rush of Android-based smartphones on the marketplace. The mobile OS created by Google is continuing its dominance, according to new numbers from research firm IDC.
IDC"s press release this week reports that for the third quarter of 2012, worldwide shipments of Android smartphones totaled 136 million units. IDC says that number represents 75 percent of all the smartphones shipped worldwide during that quarter. That also means that three out of the four smartphones shipped in the last quarter was an Android phone.
Apple"s iOS smartphones came in a distant second with 26.9 million units shipped worldwide, and a market share of 14.9 percent. Blackberry was third with 7.7 million units worldwide and a declining market share of 4.3 percent.
Microsoft"s combined market share of Windows Mobile and Windows Phone devices came in fifth with 3.6 million units shipped in the third quarter and a market share of two percent. That"s still behind Nokia"s Symbian OS, which shipped 4.1 million units in the third quarter and had a market share of 2.3 percent. IDC does say that Microsoft"s market share could increase with the launch of the new Windows Phone 8 devices this fall.
Source: IDC | Image via Cocker Dunn