Market evolution in mobile telephone operating systems

Since 2010, the operating systems of smartphones, known as Smartphones, have maintained a voracious war to gain leadership in the market. According to Gartner’s recent report, Android continues for the fifth consecutive year as the best-selling smartphone operating system worldwide, reaching 86.2% in the first months of 2016.

The strong competitiveness of operating systems in the global smartphone market seems to be over. The recent Gartner report, certifies that Android and iOS represent 99.1% of global sales, with Android occupying the leadership with 86.2%, while iOS occupies 12.9%. This makes any other system, such as Windows or Blackberry, remain in an irrelevant position, with 0.6 and 0.1% respectively.

In the graph, we show, based on Gartner’s data, the evolution of the different operating systems since 2010. Thus, in 2010, Android and iOS devices accounted for just over 40% of global sales of smartphones. Back then, Nokia’s Symbian and BlackBerry devices accounted for a significant portion of sales, almost 52% of the market.

While for Symbian, 2013 was its last year in the market and for BlackBerry its transition to Android devices, Microsoft has not yet resigned in 2016 to gain a place in the war of operating systems. In 2016 it maintains Windows 10 mobile in the market, as a platform aimed primarily at professional users, although its continuity is jeopardized by the strong dominance of the market by Android and iOS.

Android and iOS occupy more than 99% of the world market

What is clear is the supremacy of Android, a leadership that has been maintained for 5 years. Since 2010, this operating system has been the most reinforced in the number of sales, leading the world market with a share of 86.2%.

The market has finally been reduced to competition between both operating systems, Android and iOS, which currently occupy 99.1% of global sales, with Android, which has grown the most since 2010.