FRAMINGHAM, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The smartphone market passed an important milestone in 2013 when
worldwide shipments surpassed the 1 billion mark for the first time,
driven by continued momentum from Android and iOS. According to the
International Data Corporation (IDC)
Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, Android and iOS accounted for 95.7%
of all smartphone shipments in the fourth quarter of 2013 (4Q13), and
for 93.8% of all smartphone shipments for the year. This marked a
4.5-point increase from the 91.2% share that the two platforms shared in
4Q12, and a 6.1-point increase from the 87.7% share they had in 2012.
“Clearly, there was strong end-user demand for both Android and iOS
products during the quarter and the year,” says Ramon
Llamas, Research Manager with IDC’s Mobile
Phone team. “What stands out are the different routes Android and
Apple took to meet this demand. Android relied on its long list of OEM
partners, a broad and deep collection of devices, and price points that
appealed to nearly every market segment. Apple’s iOS, on the other hand,
relied on nearly the opposite approach: a limited selection of
Apple-only devices, whose prices trended higher than most. Despite these
differences, both platforms found a warm reception to their respective
user experiences and selection of mobile applications.”
While smartphone market growth remained strong in 2013, it should be
noted that the era of double-digit annual growth has only a few years
remaining. In the meantime, handset vendors are doing all they can to
capture demand while it is still present. Worldwide smartphone marketing
campaigns continue to stay focused on flagship devices like the iPhone
5S, Galaxy Note 3, and the HTC One, yet research shows that consumer
buying is rapidly shifting toward products with significantly lower
price points.
“In 2013 we saw the sub-$200 smartphone market grow to 42.6% of global
volume, or 430 million units,” said Ryan
Reith, Program Director with IDC’s Worldwide
Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. “While the market moves downstream
to cheaper products it makes sense for Samsung and others to continue
their marketing investments geared toward high-end products. These
efforts build crucial brand perception while having less expensive
alternatives that closely relate to these top products helps to close
the deal. Samsung has done exactly this with the ‘Galaxy’ line. The
family name is associated with Samsung’s high-end products, yet there
are ‘Galaxy’ variants offered by Samsung at much lower price points than
the Note 3 and S4. This has been an important factor in how Samsung has
sustained its market lead.”
Operating System Highlights
Android finished the year where it began: as the clear leader in
the smartphone operating system race. Samsung led all Android vendors
with a commanding 39.5% share of shipments for the year. Worth watching
is a crowded list of vendors jockeying for position in 2014, including
Huawei, LG, Lenovo, Coolpad, and Sony. Should Lenovo’s bid to acquire
Motorola Mobility be realized, the new company will leap ahead of
Huawei, which was the number 2 Android vendor in 2013.
iOS posted the lowest positive growth for both the quarter (6.7%)
and for the year (12.9%), underperforming the overall market in both
instances. Although it remains wildly popular in the smartphone market,
Apple has been criticized for not offering a new low-cost iPhone nor a
large screen iPhone in 2013 to compete with other OEMs. IDC believes the
company will release a large-screen version in 2014, but will not
altogether abandon the smaller 4″ screen version of previous models.
Windows Phone posted the largest increase for both the quarter
(46.7%) and the year (90.9%), with each nearly doubling the growth of
the overall market. Nokia easily led all vendors with 89.3% market
share, a testament to its expanding portfolio Shopping MixdeVendas that addressed entry-level
all the way up to large-screen smartphones. What remains to be seen in
2014 is how Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia’s smart devices will propel
volumes higher.
BlackBerry was the only operating system to realize negative
year-over-year change both for the quarter (-77.0%) and for the year
(-40.9%). Moreover, its legacy BB7 outpaced BB10 towards the end of the
year, definitely not the results that the company had hoped for when it
released BB10 in January. With new leadership, management, and a tighter
focus on the enterprise market, BlackBerry may in a better position, but
still finds itself having to evangelize the new platform to its user
base.
Top Five Smartphone Operating Systems, Shipments, and Market
Share, 4Q 2013 (Units in Millions)
Operating System
4Q13
Shipment
Volumes
4Q13 Market
Share
4Q12
Shipment
Volumes
4Q12 Market
Share
Year-Over-
Year Change
Android
226.1
78.1%
161.1
70.3%
40.3%
iOS
51.0
17.6%
47.8
20.9%
6.7%
Windows Phone
8.8
3.0%
6.0
2.6%
46.7%
BlackBerry
1.7
0.6%
7.4
3.2%
-77.0%
Others
2.0
0.7%
6.7
2.9%
-70.1%
Total
289.6
100.0%
229.0
100.0%
26.5%
Source: IDC Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker, February 12, 2014
In addition to the table above, an interactive graphic showing average
selling price (ASP) for the top 4 smartphone operating systems over the
previous four years is available here.
The chart is intended for public use in online news articles and social
media. Instructions on how to embed this graphic can be found by viewing this
press release on IDC.com.
Top Five Smartphone Operating Systems, Shipments, and Market
Share, 2013 (Units in Millions)
Operating System
2013
Shipment
Volumes
2013 Market
Share
2012
Shipment
Volumes
2012 Market
Share
Year-Over-
Year Change
Android
793.6
78.6%
500.1
69.0%
58.7%
iOS
153.4
15.2%
135.9
18.7%
12.9%
Windows Phone
33.4
3.3%
17.5
2.4%
90.9%
BlackBerry
19.2
1.9%
32.5
4.5%
-40.9%
Others
10.0
1.0%
39.3
5.4%
-74.6%
Total
1009.6
100.0%
725.3
100.0%
39.2%
Source: IDC Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker, February 12, 2014
About IDC Trackers
Tracker products provide accurate and timely market size, vendor
share, and forecasts for hundreds of technology markets from more than
100 countries around the globe. Using proprietary tools and research
processes, IDC’s Trackers are updated on a semiannual, quarterly, and
monthly basis. Tracker results are delivered to clients in user-friendly
excel deliverables and on-line https://www.att.com/shop/wireless/data-plans.html query tools. The IDC Tracker Charts app
allows users to view data charts from the most recent IDC Tracker
products on their iPhone
and iPad.
For more information about IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone
Tracker, please contact Kathy Nagamine at 650-350-6423 or knagamine@idc.com.
About IDC
International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of
market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information
technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. IDC
helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment
community to make fact-based decisions on technology purchases and
business strategy. More than 1,000 IDC analysts provide global,
regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities
and trends in over 110 countries. In 2014, IDC celebrates its 50th
anniversary of providing strategic insights to help clients achieve
their key business objectives. IDC is a subsidiary of IDG,
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