Strategy Analytics: Android's global smartphone market share has peaked

With the latest data from Strategy Analytics showing a small decline in Android's global smartphone market share, the researcher says that Google's open source OS has peaked. The data shows that Android powered handsets accounted for 84% of all smartphones shipped globally in the third quarter. That was down 1 percentage point sequentially from the 85% global smartphone share that belonged to Android in the second quarter.

According to Strategy Analytics executive director Neil Mawston, barring a collapse in the number of Apple iPhone models that are sold worldwide, the highest market share reading that Android can hope to achieve is 85%. During the third quarter, 12 out of every 100 smartphones shipped globally, was an Apple iPhone. Windows Phone snared 3% of the global smartphone market in the three month period that ended in September, while BlackBerry kept a 1% share.

Despite dropping that percentage point in Q3, Google exerted more control over the Android landscape in the period. Of all Android devices shipped in the third quarter, 37% were packed with a forked version of Android. That was down from the 39% share that forked Android devices held in the prior quarter. That should mean more money in the till for Google, since it means slightly more Android phones shipped with Google Search, YouTube and Google Maps on board. Google makes money from selling ads on these applications. Money is also made from taking a piece of sales made on the Google Play Store. Forked versions of Android do not come with Google services. 

Samsung has seen its market share of Android devices decline to 25% in the third quarter, down from 35% last year. According to Strategy Analytics, Xiaomi is taking some business away from Sammy by selling its phones at a price close to cost, and making money on accessories. Samsung prices its phones higher in order to capture a higher profit margin on each sale.

source: WSJ