Closing in on Nokia's top spot among mobile OS vendors, Google's Android grew over 1,300% in just a year,
reports research firm Canalys.
Worldwide, Android now commands a quarter of the market, compared to Nokia's 33% share.
Overall, about 20 million consumers now have Android-powered phones -- up from just 1.4 million
this time last year. "The big winner globally, as in the U.S., was Google's Open Handset Alliance,"
notes Fortune.
Putting Google's success in the most practical of
lights, ReadWriteWeb points to the broad range of price points available
for Android devices, "from high-end products like the Samsung Galaxy S or HTD Desire all the way down to affordable, 'budget' devices like the LG GT540 Optimus or Huawei's Vodafone 845."
As a result, "Android ... could eat into Nokia's share in places like India as it moves down market into cheaper smartphones," writes GigaOm. "That's going to be an ongoing theme as smartphones work their way into more hands. The
manufacturers and OS makers who can manage the growth in lower tier smartphones should enjoy a significant volume advantage."
Stateside, 9.1 million Android-supported devices shipped in
the third quarter of the year, giving Google's mobile OS a commanding 43.6% market share. By contrast, Apple shipped 5.5 million iPhones in the third quarter, giving it a 26.2% domestic market share.
Worldwide, Apple now has a 17% share of the smartphone market, while RIM's share now stands at 15%.
Meanwhile, research firm NPD is reporting that Android was installed on
44% of mobile handsets sold in the third quarter -- up 11 points since the second quarter.
But while the numbers are "guaranteed to get teeth grinding in Cupertino," MediaMemo notes: "Android's gain seems primarily fueled by BlackBerry's loss: Research in Motion lost 6
points in the last quarter, falling to 22 percent, while Apple's iOS moved up one point, to 23 percent."
Read the whole story at Canalys et al »