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Android usurped 50 percent of Global Smartphone Market
By siliconindia
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Thursday, 04 August 2011, 01:18 IST
Bangalore: According to a research firm, Canalys, Google's Android has taken almost 50 percent of the global smartphone market, ruling the Asia-Pacific region.
Google acquired Android in 2005 and launched on phones in 2008, and is used by all the major phone makers like HTC, LG, Motorola and Samsung. Canalys tracked that it was the number one platform in 35 of the 56 countries, resulting in a market share of 48 percent, the research firm said.
When compared to Android, Apple holds second position in the market with 19 percent shares but it over took Nokia, world's largest smartphone vendors. Even Samsung over took Nokia. "Samsung has failed to fully capitalize on Nokia's weakened state around the world, as the Finnish company rides out a challenging transitional period," Canalys analyst Chris Jones said. Samsung, which sells Android smartphones as well as its own branded devices, shipped some 17 million devices, a rise of 421 percent versus a year ago.
Success of Android is followed with a headache for Google and its vendors. Android mobile software has attracted a lawsuit from Oracle, while handset makers using the software have also been sued by both Apple and Microsoft, which claims an existing, perpetual license to Nortel patents.
Apple, Microsoft and Blackberry maker RIM teamed up with three other companies to outbid Google at an auction for Nortel's wireless patents, which could result in big licensing fees for Google.
Google is not fazed by its failure to acquire the Nortel patents, is said to have held talks about buying U.S. wireless chip technology company InterDigital to boost its patent portfolio.
