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iPhones and the Apple logo seem to be everywhere, but Android is still the most popular operating system in the world. Looking at the 2013 statistics for the percentage of global unit shipments for Android, iOS, Windows, Blackberry, and others, Android rules the market with 78.6% of those global shipments. [Source]
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Even more, Gartner Technology Research forecasts that Android will exceed one billion users across all devices in 2014 (includes PC, Tablet, Ultramobiles and Mobile Phones). [Source]
In 2013, Google’s Android operated 43% of smartphones globally and was the market leader in 135 countries; Apple’s iOS operated about 20% of the world’s smartphones and led the market in 38 countries (227 countries were polled). [Source]
What makes Android so popular?
According to Lisa Mahapatra of the International Business Times, less-limited price points and multiple device manufacturers are responsible for giving Android a competitive edge. Mahapatra also cites Android’s more flexible pricing and distribution as factors in making Android popular in countries with lower incomes while still producing upscale versions for markets with more capital. With Apple, the areas where iOS is the market leader tend to be more developed countries, such as the United States. [Source]
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Android also attributes other factors to their popularity, such as their open-source Linux community and a global community exceeding 300 hardware, software, and carrier partners. Android claims that these features of their network have made it popular with consumers and developers to propel the use of apps, apps which are downloaded more than 1.5 billion times each month from Google Play. [Source]
However you interpret the statistics, give some props to Android, a company that continues to grow in the global market, as a force to be reckoned with.
