• May 16, 2013

Android ran on three quarters of the smartphones shipped in the first quarter -- up from 59% a year ago, according to new data released by research firm IDC today. iOS was a distant second, at 17.3%, followed by Windows Phone (3.2%), BlackBerry (2.9%) and Linux (1%).

Windows Phone more than doubled its shipments to 7 million in the quarter, pushing the Microsoft platform past BlackBerry into the No. 3 spot for the first time. IDC Senior Research Analyst Kevin Restivo said the gains help validate the approach taken by Microsoft and hardware partner Nokia.

But the two companies still have much work to do. “Given the relatively low volume generated, the Windows Phone camp will need to show further gains to solidify its status as an alternative to Android or iOS,” he noted.

While BlackBerry has lost more than half its share from a year ago, IDC said the decline masks more recent improvement with the first-quarter launch of the BlackBerry 10 platform. But it still relied on older models for the majority of shipments in Q1.