Android smartphone shipments reached 136.0 million units

Nov 2, 2012 17:51 GMT  ·  By

Google’s Android operating system has gained some more market share in the third quarter of the year, a recent report from IDC unveiled.

The platform is said to have grabbed 75 percent of the smartphone OS market in the timeframe, with unit shipments reaching 136.0 million.

Moreover, the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker unveils that the total number of smartphones shipped in the three-month period was of 181.1 million.

Compared to the last year, the market grew by 91.5 percent in the third quarter of the year, almost double than the overall market growth rate of 46.4 percent.

"Android has been one of the primary growth engines of the smartphone market since it was launched in 2008," said Ramon Llamas, research manager, Mobile Phones at IDC.

"In every year since then, Android has effectively outpaced the market and taken market share from the competition. In addition, the combination of smartphone vendors, mobile operators, and end-users who have embraced Android has driven shipment volumes higher."

The research firm also notes that more and more handset vendors out there are joining the Android party, and that more vendors are currently launching their first Android-powered smartphones.

Android managed to set a new record level in sales in a single quarter, and Samsung managed to remain in the lead, although it has experienced a drop in market share due to the release of a multitude of new devices coming from smaller vendors.

"The share decline of smartphone operating systems not named iOS since Android's introduction isn't a coincidence," said Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.

"The smartphone operating system isn't an isolated product, it's a crucial part of a larger technology ecosystem. Google has a thriving, multi-faceted product portfolio. Many of its competitors, with weaker tie-ins to the mobile OS, do not. This factor and others have led to loss of share for competitors with few exceptions."