Android Breaks 80% Mark in Market Share

SEOUL, KOREA- Google’s Android passed the 80-percent level in the global smartphone operating systemmarket share, first in history.According to a survey of smartphone operating system market share for the third quarter of this year, conducted by market research firm IDC, the number of smartphones using Android reached 211.6 million units worldwide, with the market share of Android estimated at 81 percent.

Thisis the first time for Android to pass the 80-percent market share since thestarted its smartphone operating system survey. Android-using smartphones stoodat 139.9 million units last year, with the market share of Android estimated at 74.9 percent and 79.3 percent in the second quarter of this year.

Following Android was Apple’s iOS which grabbed a share of 12.9 percent or 3.38 millionunits. The shipments of smartphones using Apple’s iOS stood at 2.69 millionunits last year, with a share of 14.4 percent.