SHARE

Android Snags Nearly 60% of Smart Mobile Device Market: Canalys

Google’s mobile operating system has grown into the little ‘bot that could — and did. While Apple iOS remains a formidable and profitable juggernaut in the mobile arena, Google’s Android OS leads the pack. A new report from analyst firm Canalys revealed that Android commanded 59.5 percent of the smart mobile device market during the […]

Written By

Pedro Hernandez

May 10, 2013

Datamation content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More

Google’s mobile operating system has grown into the little ‘bot that could — and did.

While Apple iOS remains a formidable and profitable juggernaut in the mobile arena, Google’s Android OS leads the pack. A new report from analyst firm Canalys revealed that Android commanded 59.5 percent of the smart mobile device market during the first quarter of 2013 (1Q13).

Healthy iPhone and iPad shipments helped Apple capture 19.3 percent of the market. Microsoft owes its dominance of the PC market for its 18.1 share, noted Canalys. The firm lumps notebook PCs into the smart mobile device category, along with smartphones and tablets.

All told, the market grew 37.4 percent on a year-over-year basis to hit 308.7 million units. The cause, in part, was the blistering rate of tablet adoption.

Compared to the same year-ago period, the tablet segment shot up 106.1 percent to reach 41.9 million slates. Apple’s iPad leads this race with 46.4 percent of the market, but Android tablets are hot on its tail.

“Spearheaded by Google and Amazon, the commoditization of the tablet market has happened far quicker than that of the wider PC market,” Canalys senior analyst Tim Coulling noted in a statement.

To operate under these market conditions, think ecosystem, not device, warned Coulling. “Profit margins are being squeezed and vendors without a low cost structure will find it hard to compete. A solid range of must-have accessories and a software and services strategy are vital as vendors will increasingly need to make revenue around their devices,” he added.

Over 216.3 million smartphones shipped during Q1. With 75.6 percent share of the market, Android was far and away the mobile OS to beat. Samsung, on the continuing strength of is Galaxy S-series handsets, raised its shipments by 64.3 percent and claimed 32 percent of the market.

Notebook PC shipments fell to 50.5 million units, a 13.1 percent drop compared to the first quarter of 2012. The findings mirror those of a recent report from IDC. According to the market research group, the entire PC market (desktops and portables) declined by 13.9 percent to settle on 76.3 million units during 1Q13.

The culprit: Windows 8.

“At this point, unfortunately, it seems clear that the Windows 8 launch not only failed to provide a positive boost to the PC market, but appears to have slowed the market,” declared IDC program vice president Bob O’Donnell.

It’s a wake-up call for the Wintel alliance, argues Canalys research analyst Pin-Chen Tang.

“While there are macroeconomic factors that contribute to this ongoing trend, the impact of tablets must not be understated. The combination of ARM-based chipsets and Android has taken computing devices to new, lower price points. If Microsoft and Intel are serious about capitalizing on this exploding market, both will need to ensure that their OEMs can remain competitive on price,” remarked Tang.

Pedro Hernandez is a contributing editor at Datamation and InternetNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ecoINSITE.

Ethics and Artificial Intelligence: Driving Greater Equality

FEATURE | By James Maguire,
December 16, 2020
AI vs. Machine Learning vs. Deep Learning

FEATURE | By Cynthia Harvey,
December 11, 2020
Huawei’s AI Update: Things Are Moving Faster Than We Think

FEATURE | By Rob Enderle,
December 04, 2020
Keeping Machine Learning Algorithms Honest in the ‘Ethics-First’ Era

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE | By Guest Author,
November 18, 2020
Key Trends in Chatbots and RPA

FEATURE | By Guest Author,
November 10, 2020
Top 10 AIOps Companies

FEATURE | By Samuel Greengard,
November 05, 2020
What is Text Analysis?

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE | By Guest Author,
November 02, 2020
How Intel’s Work With Autonomous Cars Could Redefine General Purpose AI

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE | By Rob Enderle,
October 29, 2020
Dell Technologies World: Weaving Together Human And Machine Interaction For AI And Robotics

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE | By Rob Enderle,
October 23, 2020
The Super Moderator, or How IBM Project Debater Could Save Social Media

FEATURE | By Rob Enderle,
October 16, 2020
Top 10 Chatbot Platforms

FEATURE | By Cynthia Harvey,
October 07, 2020
Finding a Career Path in AI

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE | By Guest Author,
October 05, 2020
CIOs Discuss the Promise of AI and Data Science

FEATURE | By Guest Author,
September 25, 2020
Microsoft Is Building An AI Product That Could Predict The Future

FEATURE | By Rob Enderle,
September 25, 2020
Top 10 Machine Learning Companies 2021

FEATURE | By Cynthia Harvey,
September 22, 2020
NVIDIA and ARM: Massively Changing The AI Landscape

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE | By Rob Enderle,
September 18, 2020
Continuous Intelligence: Expert Discussion [Video and Podcast]

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE | By James Maguire,
September 14, 2020
Artificial Intelligence: Governance and Ethics [Video]

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE | By James Maguire,
September 13, 2020
IBM Watson At The US Open: Showcasing The Power Of A Mature Enterprise-Class AI

FEATURE | By Rob Enderle,
September 11, 2020
Artificial Intelligence: Perception vs. Reality

FEATURE | By James Maguire,
September 09, 2020

SEE ALL
ARTICLES

Pedro Hernandez

Pedro Hernandez is a contributor to Datamation, eWEEK, and the IT Business Edge Network, the network for technology professionals. Previously, he served as a managing editor for the Internet.com network of IT-related websites and as the Green IT curator for GigaOM Pro.

Android Snags Nearly 60% of Smart Mobile Device Market: Canalys

Pedro Hernandez

Recommended for you...

Company

Categories

Android Snags Nearly 60% of Smart Mobile Device Market: Canalys

RELATED NEWS AND ANALYSIS

Pedro Hernandez

Recommended for you...

Company

Categories