Android is now installed on almost nine out of every 10 mobile devices around the world, according to new research.
The team at Strategy Analysis believe that at the end of September this year, 87.7 per cent of handsets sold during the previous three months were rocking Google’s mobile operating system.
According to the figures, Google was able to ship 328.6 million phones running Android during the last quarter, from an overall industry total of 375.4 million.
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We’re also closer to a duopoly than ever before with Windows Phone and BlackBerry sales down from 2.3 per cent of the market last September to 0.3 per cent this time around.
Overall, Android sales were up 10.3% year-on-year, according to SA. That represents huge growth at a time a well-documented slump in iPhone sales saw Apple fall 5.2 per cent.
Of course, it’s not all bad news for Apple as the figures presented today account for only one full week of iPhone 7 and 7 Plus sales. It can expect to regain share next quarter as the flagships gather pace ahead of the holiday season.
It must also be remembered that a quite large portion of these Android handset sales are from cheap devices in the developing world, so it shouldn’t be reflection of a fall in the iPhone’s popularity compared with its high-end Android rivals.
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Are we heading for totalitarian Android dominance or can Apple fight back? Share your thoughts below.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
