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Android "Clear Leader" In Smartphone Race Says Report
0Comments | Larry Seltzer, BYTE | December 05, 2012 08:50 AM

Category: Smartphones

An analysis of the mobile phone market by analyst firm International Data Corporation's (IDC) (http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?contai...2#.UL9c0neM4xO) shows Android the "clear leader" in the smartphone mobile operating system race with 68.3% of the market in 2012. The iPhone is a distant second at 18.8% with all other operating systems below 5%. Growth of the overall mobile phone market, including non-smart "feature phones," is up a measly 1.4% in 2012.indicating that all the growth is in smartphones.

IDC also projects market share in 2016, when it expects Android to remain the dominant player, but with share dropping to 63.8%. The forecast shows Android as holding dominance because it is the easiest to sell to the great mass of customers, while iPhones have become a premium, high-priced option that "...will make it cost prohibitive for some users within many emerging markets." If Apple wants to grow this share, IDC says they will need to consider lower-priced models. IDC projects iOS market share nearly unchanged in 2016 at 19.1%.
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http://www.informationweek.com/byte/...race/240143823

IDC Press Release Link: http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?contai...2#.UL9c0neM4xO