Posted on 08/18/2014 12:15:21 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
The Google spawn's market share is up a third compared to the same quarter in 2013. Every other mobile operating system is not even eating Android's dust – they're so far back on the road they can see the plume of dust Android throws up are falling behind and don't even look to have a chance of choking.
We offer that analysis because, as the chart below shows, Android's nearest rival – Apple's iOS – now has just 11.7 per cent market share.
Top Five Smartphone Operating Systems, Worldwide Shipments, and Market Share, 2014Q2 (Units in Millions)
|
Operating System |
2Q14 Shipment Volume |
2Q14 Market Share |
2Q13 Shipment Volume |
2Q13 Market Share |
2Q14/2Q13 Growth |
|
Android |
255.3 |
84.7% |
191.5 |
79.6% |
33.3% |
|
iOS |
35.2 |
11.7% |
31.2 |
13.0% |
12.7% |
|
Windows Phone |
7.4 |
2.5% |
8.2 |
3.4% |
-9.4% |
|
BlackBerry |
1.5 |
0.5% |
6.7 |
2.8% |
-78.0% |
|
Others |
1.9 |
0.6% |
2.9 |
1.2% |
-32.2% |
|
Total |
301.3 |
100% |
240.5 |
100% |
25.3% |
Source: IDC Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker, August 14, 2014
Note: Figures may not be exact due to rounding
IDC says Android's winning because mobe-makers are using it to crack the sub-US$200 market. With Android One on the way and sub-$100 devices the target, the analyst says there's every chance Android will capture even more market share.
The data is also notable for reporting the first 300-million-phones-shipped quarter.
The new isn't all bad for the chasing pack as IDC says Q2 is Apple's annual low point thanks to punters either having bought an iPhone 5s already or being willing to wait for a new model. And despite Windows Phone's declining market share, the analyst thinks there's a chance for improvement once Microsoft's channels get Lumias into developing countries at attractive prices.
BlackBerry may not be entirely dead yet, as it is improving its position in the Asian markets it has targeted and recorded “some gains among enterprise users within North America and Western Europe.” ®
That feature was probably removed or can be disabled by the user I bet.
I disabled the built-in FB app on my Adroid devices, which is as far as I think I can go in thwarting FB from uploading info on all my contacts, but I have no idea if it actually helps.
I wonder why Google insists on preventing Adroid users from uninstalling the FB app.
Just found this:
Every company is going to use your data against you. Its simply too enticing and valuable not too.
Don”t know about Google, but a lot of the Amazon apps come packed with spyware. They can’t make money if you don’t let them have their way with your data.
If this is true, why when I go into any Electronic store for a darn case for my Google Android phone, all I find are shelves and shelves of Iphone 5 cases of all sorts, and but a few HTC and Samgsun Galaxy cases.
“I have zero trust in Google and Facebook to not use my own device/software against me.”
I second that.
Must be a carrier thing, I don’t have FB app on my phone. I do have apps from Tmobile and Samsung I would like to delete but can’t.
Flash it with a custom ROM. Problem solved. Tons of great ones out there.
Sounds like a plan. What models have the most coustom ROMs available? Galaxies, I imagine?
:’) Thanks Ernest.
“Every company is going to use your data against you. Its simply too enticing and valuable not too.”
Not if you protect yourself.
It is essentially impossible to guard your privacy if you use a smartphone with a proprietary operating system like iOS or Windows Phone. Because Apple and Microsoft don’t allow you to examine the inner workings of their respective mobile OSs, you’re limited in what changes you can make, and you can never be sure that they haven’t left a backdoor for themselves, the government, or whoever else.
Android is different, though. Anyone can examine its inner workings and make their own customized version of Android with the “bad stuff” taken out. If you install a custom version of Android from a reliable developer that includes either App Ops, Privacy Guard, or my all-time favorite, XPrivacy, you will be able to ensure that most of your data is protected. (XPrivacy can completely stop data leaks, but its learning curve is quite steep.)
As another FRiend has already pointed out, XDA Developers is the #1 site when it comes to stuff like this.
I realize that none of it is very well-documented, though, so if anyone reading this would like a hands-on walkthrough of how to take control of your Android device, send me a message. I’d be glad to help. I’ve been mucking with Android devices for years now and I’m a former technical writer, so I know a thing or two about how to explain complicated concepts to the average audience.
Because while market share can be an interesting metric, profit share is another one. People who buy the higher-end devices are actually willing to spend money on them, both on accessories and apps. That's why Apple and Samsung combine for 108% of the profit share in smart phones (yes, that's over 100%, the remaining companies operate at a combined -8%).
It's also because if you look at total units sold of specific models, you'll see iPhone at spots #1 and either #2 or #3 (current model and previous model), with a form factor that only changes every two years - a lot of units and a stable design make it easy and safe to manufacture things like cases that depend on the form factor. It's a lot more hassle, and blows up any economy of scale, to make cases for dozens, if not hundreds, of model variants.
Go to Ebay or Amazon. Plenty of cases for a fraction of the cost.
Other than the top Samsung phone at any given time, nobody has enough market share to warrant shelf space for the numerous android phone model cases.
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