iOS and Android Combined Accounted for 96.3% of all Smartphone Shipments Worldwide in 2014

[RaduTyrsina]

According to a fresh report coming from market research firm IDC, it seems that iOS and Android are the absolute leaders of the smartphone market. There was no doubt about it, but the numbers are really mind-blowing - Android and iOS combined accounted for a whopping 96.3% of all smartphone shipments worldwide in 2014, which is up from 93.8% in the prior year.

Google's mobile operating system captured 81.5% of the market, which has increased from 78.7% in 2013. iOS has claimed 14.8%, which is slightly less than 15.1% in 2013. Ramon Llamas, Research Manager with IDC's Mobile Phone team, said the following:

"Many of the same drivers were in play for Android and iOS to tighten their grip on the market. A combination of strong end-user demand, refreshed product portfolios, and the availability of low-cost devices – particularly for Android – drove volumes higher."

Melissa Chau, Senior Research Manager with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracke also added the following:

"Instead of a battle for the third ecosystem after Android and iOS, 2014 instead yielded skirmishes, with Windows Phone edging out BlackBerry, Firefox, Sailfish and the rest, but without any of these platforms making the kind of gains needed to challenge the top two.

"This isn't to say that vendors aren't making moves, especially for the growth segments – the low-end markets. With Microsoft bringing ever-cheaper Lumia into play and Tizen finally getting launched to India early this year, there is still a hunger to chip away at Android's dominance."

Windows Phone had the smallest year-over-year increase, growing just 4.2%, while BlackBerry saw its YoY growth decline by 69.8%.

Source: IDC