Android, Apple Account for 92% of Global Smart Phone Shipments

You might say a business lead by two firms with 92 percent market share fits the notion of "market domination." And by that definition, the global smart phone market is dominated by Apple and Samsung. 

According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global smart phone shipments grew 38 percent annually to reach 217 million units in the fourth quarter of 2012. 

To the point, Android and Apple iOS together accounted for 92 percent share of all smart phones shipped worldwide, representing the largest market share the two firms ever have had. 

Global shipment growth slowed from 64 percent in 2011 to 43 percent in 2012 as penetration of smart phones began to mature in developed regions such as North America and Western Europe,” says Neil Shah, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics.

Strategy Analytics estimates 152.1 million Android smart phones were shipped globally in the fourth quarter of 2012, nearly doubling from 80.6 million units in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Android’s share of the global smart phone market has surged from 51 percent to 70 percent over the past year.

Almost half-a-billion Android smartphones were shipped in total worldwide during 2012. 

Apple grew 29 percent annually and shipped 47.8 million smart phones worldwide for 22 percent market share in the fourth quarter of 2012, dipping slightly from 24 percent a year earlier. 

"The worldwide smart phone industry has effectively become a duopoly as consumer demand has polarized around mass-market Android models and premium Apple designs,” Strategy Analytics says.

That is not to say the smart phone market is immutable, either in terms of operating system share or device manufacturer share. In fact, one can already note that Samsung perhaps is the only profitable Android handset manufacturer. 

Global Smartphone Operating System Shipments and Market Share in Q4 2012

Global Smartphone OS Shipments (Millions of Units)		Q4 '11		2011		Q4 '12		2012
Android		80.6		238.9		152.1		479.0
Apple iOS		37.0		93.0		47.8		135.8
Others		39.4		158.6		17.1		85.3
Total		157.0		490.5		217.0		700.1
Global Smartphone OS Marketshare %		Q4 '11		2011		Q4 '12		2012
Android		51.3%		48.7%		70.1%		68.4%
Apple iOS		23.6%		19.0%		22.0%		19.4%
Others		25.1%		32.3%		7.9%		12.2%
Total		100.0%		100.0%		100.0%		100.0%
Total Growth Year-over-Year %		55.9%		63.8%		38.2%		42.7%