Three-quarters of smartphones sold run on Android

Android-operated devices now represent three-quarters of the smartphone market, according to third quarter figures, far ahead of the iPhone in second place with 15 per cent. BlackBerry is a distant third, according to the research by analyst group IDC, which showed that the Canadian company's market share has dwindled to just four per cent. 

Of the 181 million smartphones shipped during the quarter, 136 million were Android devices, compared to just 27 million iPhones and 7.7 million BlackBerrys. Of course, Google's Android operating system does have an advantage in that in runs on so many different types of smartphones, while Apple's iOS is limited to its own products.

"Android has been one of the primary growth engines of the smartphone market since it was launched in 2008," said Ramon Llamas, research manager for mobile phones at IDC. "In every year since then, Android has effectively outpaced the market and taken market share from the competition," he continued.

"In addition, the combination of smartphone vendors, mobile operators, and end-users who have embraced Android has driven shipment volumes higher. Even today, more vendors are introducing their first Android-powered smartphones to market," Llamas added.

Samsung and HTC are among the Android market leaders. Android's total volumes for the quarter were greater than the total number of smartphones shipped in 2007, the year that Android was officially announced by Google. 

Android might be dominating in the field of general smartphone use, but when it comes to business, Computing research shows employers who provide devices to staff prefer to offer BlackBerrys. However, some organisations are now starting to move towards using devices which run on different operating systems.