The Android operating system expanded rapidly in the second quarter of 2010, overtaking Apple’s iPhone OS to become the third-most-popular smartphone system in the world, and passing Research In Motion in the U.S. to become the country’s No. 1 platform, research firm Gartner reports.
“A non-exclusive strategy that produces products selling across many communication service providers, and the backing of so many device manufacturers, which are bringing more attractive devices to market at several different price points, were among the factors that yielded its growth this quarter,” says Gartner’s Carolina Milanesi.
Smartphone sales to end users worldwide totaled 61.6 million units in the second quarter of 2010, a 51% increase from the same period in 2009, with new products from Apple as well as Android phone maker HTC and Motorola driving growth. Smartphone sales accounted for 19% of all mobile device sales worldwide during the quarter, Gartner says.
“The sudden growth in media tablets, such as the Apple iPad, did not appear to hold back smartphone sales,” Milanesi adds. “We believe that most tablet users still feel the need for a truly pocketable, yet highly capable, device for those situations when it's inconvenient to carry a device with a larger form factor.”
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