The share of Android operating systems (OS) for smartphones increased to 86.2 per cent globally during the April-June quarter, up by four percentage points over a year.
The share of iOS, the in-house OS from US infotech giant Apple Inc, dropped to 12.9 per cent, reported research and advisory entity Gartner.
The share of the other two prominent smartphone OS — Microsoft’s Windows and Research in Motion’s BlackBerry OS — declined further. The former’s went down to 0.6 per cent from 2.5 per cent, year on year.
BlackBerry’s was 0.1 per cent, down from 0.3 per cent. The declining sale of Apple’s iPhones during the quarter pulled down iOS’ market share.
iPhone sales dropped to 4,43,95,000 units or 7.7 per cent lower over a year before, from 4,80,85,500. “Apple sales declined in North America (its biggest market) and in Western Europe. It witnessed its worst sales decline in Greater China and mature Asia/Pacific regions, where sales declined 26 per cent,” the report said.
However, iPhone sales clocked their highest ever in Eurasia, sub-Saharan Africa and Eastern Europe in the second quarter of 2016, where sales grew 95 per cent.
This is the third consecutive quarter when demand for iPhones had slowed globally, the report said. Major smartphone entities like Samsung drove sales in the premium category. Chinese brands Huawei and Oppo aided sales of affordable devices. According to Roberta Cozza, research director at Gartner, Google has evolved the Android platform faster than others and this has allowed players in the market to offer cutting-edge technology on smartphones.
"Facing a highly commoditised smartphone market, Google's focus is to further expand and diversify the Android platform with additional functionalities, like virtual reality, enabling more-intelligent experiences and reach into wearables, connected home devices, in-car entertainment and TV,” she said.
