From beginning 2013, Google Inc.’s flagship mobile operating system, Android has been performing well in all the consumer markets across the globe. This is typically evident in the U.S and other major markets where Android-based smartphones has been extending their dominance over them, according to a recent market survey conducted by the technology experts.
Market research specialist, Kantar Worldpanel ComTech has revealed that Android now holds a market share of 49.3% in the smartphone segment, as per the number of units sold in the U.S during the 1st quarter 2013. On the other hand, Apple’s operating system, iOS held a market share of 43.7% during that same period.
There is a substantial boost in the overall lead of Android as compared to Apple based on their past year performance. At that time in 2012, Apple’s share was 44.6% of the mobile market whereas Android could just squeeze past that to capture a 47.9% market share.
However, Android has a better market capitalization in non-U.S markets. For instance, Android is much more ahead in several major non-U.S markets like 63.3% in France, 69.4% in China, 73.6% in Germany and a whopping 93.5% in Spain. Alternatively, it is only in Japan that Apple is still going strong with a market share of 49.2% in comparison to 45.8% of Android.
Amongst all these fights between the two technology giants, Microsoft’s Windows has been slowly catching up with its rivals. This is because market research has shown that Microsoft’s improved Windows Phone 8 platform has been successful enough to garner more share of the hot smartphone market, after it was released in late 2012.
In U.S, the biggest smartphone market in the world, Windows has put up a good show with a share of 5.6% in early 2013 from the past year’s 3.7%. Moreover, its rally did not end there, but spread out to various other consumer markets as well. As of now, Windows holds just 7% of the market share in the United Kingdom, 7.2% in France and 10.9% in Italy.
In the words of Kantar analyst, Mary-Ann Parlato, Windows has been really smart enough to take advantage of the competition between the two arch belligerent rivals, Apple and Samsung, who want to place themselves as the numero uno mobile operating system seller in the world.
As a result, Windows has now got to increase its Windows-based phone sales figure since the past one year. This ultimately enabled Microsoft to clinch the highest ever sales figure as far as its record for the total numbers of Windows-based phones sold are concerned.
Actually, Windows scores in more ways than one and one of the most prominent amongst them is its ability to attract first-time smartphone consumers. These consumers are basically, upgrading themselves from a featured mobile device to a smartphone. So, in Parlato’s view, this trend spells good future prospects for the Windows. It is expected to play a greater role in the smartphone industry not only in the U.S but also across the globe.
The fact is that around half of the mobile consumers in the U.S still own a featured phone and that makes the prospects of Windows brighter in the months to come. This is due to the fact that many of these feature phone users will want to upgrade to a smartphone, thereby boosting the sales figure of Windows phones.
