Android rules global sales of smartphones in Q2: data

About two-thirds of smartphones shipped globally in the second quarter ran on Google Inc.’s Android platform, data showed Thursday, further cementing its dominance over other operating system.

Shipments of Android-powered smartphones totaled 104.8 million units in the April-June period, more than doubling from 50.8 million units the previous year, according to the data by market intelligence firm International Data Corporation.

That translates into the Android platform powering 68.1 percent of smartphones shipped during the cited period, up 20 percentage points from a year earlier, data showed.

Apple Inc.’s iOS came next with a 16.9 percent market share.

Research In Motion’s BlackBerry OS and Nokia Oyj’s Symbian saw their market share tumble to 4.8 percent and 4.4 percent, respectively.

Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Phone 7 was one of the rare smaller players whose market share increased over the cited period. It accounted for 3.5 percent of the market in the second quarter, up from 2.3 percent a year earlier, according to the data.

“Android continues to fire on all cylinders. The market was entreated to several flagship models from Android’s handset partners,” said Ramon Llamas, an analyst at IDC.

Some of the world’s best-selling models, such as Samsung Electronics Co.’s Galaxy S line-up, use the Android OS.

Meanwhile, worldwide smartphone shipments amounted to 154 million units in the three-month period, growing 42.2 percent from a year ago, according to the data. (Yonhap News)