75 Percent of Smartphones Powered By Google Android
Apple has been desperate to establish its supremacy over the smartphone market, ever since it lost its hold due to Steve Jobs’ death and the delayed release of the iPhone 5. However, even the release of the iPhone 5 does not seem to have any effect as more than 75% of the smartphones sold in the third quarter were Android based. A new research report filed by a leading research based organization revealed that Google has managed to put more gaps in between their OS and that of Apple’s. The reasons for this might be varied but if you are one of those people taking Android training classes, this is a reason to celebrate as more sales implies more demand for Android programmers and hence, more jobs.
HTC and Samsung Build up Market Shares While Apple Registers a Slight Gain
Although there are many mobile manufacturers that make and sell Android based smartphones, HTC and Samsung seem to be the two major players in the market. A bulk of the smartphone sales were comprised of devices from these two mobile manufacturers. Statistically speaking, a major chunk of the 136 million smartphone units were from HTC and Samsung. Incidentally, this figure is double the number of Android smartphones sold in the previous quarter. A research survey conducted a year ago indicated that Android based smartphones were used by 57.5% of the worldwide smartphone user community. But this increase in sales has boosted that figure too and the worldwide smartphone users have 75% using Android operating system.
Meanwhile, Apple was not doing as well as they expected to, especially after the release of their much touted ‘best smartphone in the world’, the iPhone 5. Their market share went up to 14.9% from the previous 13.8%, a meager 1.1% market share gain.
Android Benefited by Symbian and Blackberry’s Decline
While Android has indeed stepped up its game in the past few months and has been very innovative and creative with its impressive offerings, there have also been a few other contributing factors for this sudden increase in the popularity. One of them has been the rapid decline in the popularity of Blackberry and Symbian. The reasons for the decline of these two operating systems might be due to the huge rise in popularity of iOS and Android conversely but it is hard to put a finger on a specific reason.
The same research that estimated the number of smartphones running on Android also collected data on other operating systems. The data showed that the usage of Blackberry had declined from 9.5% in the last year to 7.7% presently. Symbian on the other hand has dropped dramatically from a respectable 14.6% to a meager 4.1%. This might be due to the fact that its only associated manufacturer, Nokia, has more or less shifted to Microsoft’s Windows operating system.
Android Available With A Larger Number Of Manufacturers
Another reason why Android is hugely popular is because it is available with a number of manufacturers. Samsung owes its comeback in the mobile arena to Android and this is an openly admitted fact. Other manufacturers like HTC, Motorola, and a number of other small manufacturers have also opted Android as their preferred OS and this has given the consumers a choice in terms of hardware. But it is not just the hardware that is making the difference. The latest version of the software, Android 4.2, also has quite a few impressive changes and upgrades that are definitely going to contribute to Android’s rise as the most dominant mobile OS of the modern day.
Quick Settings
When you pull down the notification bar on the 4.2 version of the Android, you not only have the notifications but also a quick settings screen. This screen can be accessed by swiping with two fingers from the top of the screen instead of one that you use to access the notification screen. There are 8 listed settings in this new feature including Google+, Wi-Fi settings, Bluetooth and other associated general settings that require constant tweaks.
Malware Protection
Android developers have beefed up the security through the addition of a malware scanner. While it is known that Google scans all the apps on the Play Store for malware, this on board scanner is meant for scanning other apps. There is also extra security for malicious codes that bill you automatically. Any billing action that your phone does requires your approval and while this might be a little inconvenient, you have the added security. Android users, especially students who are enrolled in Android training classes, will understand the significance of the upgrades in these security features.
Please Share This Knowledge With Others!
Henrietta says
I noticed that HTC has some pretty fancy smart phone devices. I believe that HTC is android and their phones are of a Windows platform. I remember when Blackberry was a top selling phone and when celebrities like Kim Kardashian would talk about her blackberry on her reality show. But since android became so popular, Blackberry has all but been forgotten.
Brandi says
I had no idea that the death of Steve Jobs would have had such an effect on Apple’s market share. I suppose that should not surprise me since the stock markets tend to overreact just as they overreacted with overwhelming fear which eventually lead to the great depression. I am not suggesting that is the case with Apple, but it does illustrate why his death was somewhat a blow to the company.