Android phone sales surge past Apple
8/12/2012NEW YORK -- Got an iPhone? You're in the minority. There were four Android phones for every iPhone shipped in the second quarter, research firm IDC said last week. That's up from a ratio of 2.5 to 1 in the same period last year.
The success of Samsung's Android phones helped Google's operating system extend its dominance in the smart-phone market.
Samsung Electronics Co. and other phone makers shipped nearly 105 million Android smart phones in the April-June quarter, giving Android 68 percent of the worldwide market, up from 47 percent last year.
The gains came largely at the expense of BlackBerry phones made by Research in Motion Ltd. and Symbian phones made largely by Nokia Corp. Each saw its market share drop below 5 percent. Nokia is now making phones that use Microsoft Corp.'s Windows system.
The market share for Apple Inc.'s iPhone, powered by its iOS software, fell slightly to 17 percent, from 19 percent. But the firm shipped more iPhones than a year ago. Apple is the No. 2 smart-phone maker, behind Samsung, and is likely to get a boost when it releases its new model.
Samsung's Galaxy S III phone received good reviews when it was released late in the second quarter. It also benefits from the company's strategy of making various devices that target a range of consumers. By contrast, Apple targets only the high-end market with its iPhone.
According to IDC, Samsung accounted for 44 percent of all Android phones in the second quarter and shipped more Android phones than the next seven Android phone makers combined.