Surprise! Windows Phone Shipments Surge 77 Percent Since Last Year
The mobile market is dominated by Android and iOS, but lest either platform get too comfortable sitting way out in front of the pack, watch out for Windows Phone. According to the latest figures released by the International Data Corporation (IDC), Windows Phone shipments surged 77 percent year-over-year, the largest gain of any smartphone platform.
Lest we get carried away here, that leap in shipments still only translates into a 3.7 percent share of the overall market, albeit that's up from 3.1 percent in the same quarter a year ago. Android is still king and growing in power, increasing its share of the market from 69.1 percent in the second quarter of last year to 79.3 percent in Q2 2013.
Both platforms gained at the expense of iOS as users wait for new iPhone models to emerge. As a result, slowed sales resulted in iOS slipping to 13.2 percent of the smartphone market, down from 16.6 percent a year ago.
"The iOS decline in the second quarter aligns with the cyclicality of iPhone," says Ramon Llamas, Research Manager with IDC's Mobile Phone team. "Without a new product launch since the debut of the iPhone 5 nearly a year ago, Apple’s market share was vulnerable to product launches from the competition. But with a new iPhone and revamped iOS coming out later this year, Apple is well-positioned to re-capture market share."
BlackBerry's attempt to reclaim relevance is once again in question. After a much hyped launch of a new OS and handsets, BlackBerry's share fell from 4.9 percent to just 2.9 percent and now trails Windows Phone.
Lest we get carried away here, that leap in shipments still only translates into a 3.7 percent share of the overall market, albeit that's up from 3.1 percent in the same quarter a year ago. Android is still king and growing in power, increasing its share of the market from 69.1 percent in the second quarter of last year to 79.3 percent in Q2 2013.
Both platforms gained at the expense of iOS as users wait for new iPhone models to emerge. As a result, slowed sales resulted in iOS slipping to 13.2 percent of the smartphone market, down from 16.6 percent a year ago.
| Android |
79.3 percent |
| iOS | 13.2 percent |
| Windows Phone |
3.7 percent |
| BlackBerry OS | 2.9 percent |
| Linux | 0.8 percent |
| Symbian | 0.2 percent |
| Others | 0.0 percent |
"The iOS decline in the second quarter aligns with the cyclicality of iPhone," says Ramon Llamas, Research Manager with IDC's Mobile Phone team. "Without a new product launch since the debut of the iPhone 5 nearly a year ago, Apple’s market share was vulnerable to product launches from the competition. But with a new iPhone and revamped iOS coming out later this year, Apple is well-positioned to re-capture market share."
BlackBerry's attempt to reclaim relevance is once again in question. After a much hyped launch of a new OS and handsets, BlackBerry's share fell from 4.9 percent to just 2.9 percent and now trails Windows Phone.
