Although this might come as no surprise to all of us smartphone enthusiasts, news is that Google’s Android platform has absolutely dominated the smartphone platform in the third quarter of 2012 – just like it has been doing to all quarters since is launch in 2008. According to analytics firm IDC, the platform now commands an unassailable 75 percent market share in the smartphones segment. iOS comes in at a distant second place with just 14.9 percent of the market. In third and fourth places are RIM’s BlackBerry OS and Nokia’s once dominant Symbian platfrom which now hold 4.3 percent and 2.3 percent of the smartphones market.
If we are believe IDC’s Mobile Phone Research Manager Ramon Llamas, the Android platform has been singlehandedly able to fuel the smartphones revolution and along with iOS have been the primary growth engines of the smartphones market. Android has been on a constant upward growth since its launch in 2008. Every year since its arrival, Android has outpaced others and has grown way faster than the competition- eventually dominating the sector.
Llamas also adds that with consumers and operators both embracing the platfrom, the upward trend will continue on to the foreseeable future. With 3 out of 4 people choosing an Android based smartphone today instead of other platforms the platform has managed to register an amazing 91% year on year growth in terms of the number of units shipped.
If you are interested to know about the state of Android vendors, Samsung by far leads the charts and continues to sell more Android phones than the rest of the Android pack. Apple’s iOS is however likely to pick up some steam with the recent launch of the iPhone 5 and the decision to lower prices of its older phones. However, that won’t be enough to challenge the dominance of the giant that is Android now.