Android Grows 1580% in Western Europe in 4Q 2010

Shipments of smartphones in Western Europe in the fourth quarter of 2010 increased to 25.6 million units, 99 percent higher than in the fourth quarter of 2009. Feature phone shipments declined to 33.1 million units, down 25 percent from the same quarter of 2009.

Android grew 1,580 percent year-over-year to 7.9 million units, up from 470 thousand units a year ago. The Apple iOS increased 66 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010 from the same quarter of 2009.

"The Western European mobile phone market will be dominated by smartphones, and Android will be the king of the hill," said Francisco Jeronimo, European mobile devices research manager, IDC. "

Android surged from four percent to 31 percent market share in less than a year to become the market leader in the fourth quarter of 2010 and the fastest growing operating system ever.

IDC estimates at that Android will grow at a 37 percent compound annual growth rate between 2010 and 2015 in Western Europe, overtaking the overall market growth in the period and that of its direct competitor, the iOS from Apple.

IDC - Press Release - prUK22729011