AppleInsider Staff
Apple and Google have all but destroyed the competition in the smartphone space, with the two companies' flagship mobile operating systems — iOS and Android — combining to power 96.3 percent of the smartphones shipped in 2014, new data indicates.
Apple took 14.8 percent of the market — a slight year-over-year drop — compared to 81.5 percent for Google, according to market research firm IDC. Formerly dominant players Microsoft and BlackBerry accounted for just 2.7 percent and 0.4 percent of shipments last year, respectively.
"Many of the same drivers were in play for Android and iOS to tighten their grip on the market," IDC research manager Ramon Llamas said in a release. "A combination of strong end-user demand, refreshed product portfolios, and the availability of low-cost devices - particularly for Android - drove volumes higher."
Android's share of the overall market has long been buoyed by hundreds of millions of low-spec devices sold in emerging markets that can be had for as little as $50. Apple's iPhone 4s, currently the oldest and cheapest iPhone the company sells through its own distribution network, comes in at more than $300 without subsidies.
This discrepancy has allowed Apple to turn the tables when it comes to profit share. Despite owning less than one quarter of the overall market, Apple rakes in nearly 90 percent of the industry's profits.
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82 Comments
Now flip the iOS and Android lines to show actual profit.
Actually, the Android line is kinda low to show iOS profit.
Curious to see how the Windows phone will do with Windows 10, but that won't be out four awhile. It would be good to have a three horse race.
People are leaving Windows phone now because it doesn't have the apps they want. And if there are apps, they are sometimes/often inferior to Android/Apple versions.
It could be too late for Windows phone. Seems like they would need a miracle to pull it off. That, or find a way to heavily subsidize the phones.
Wow and iOS takes 93% of profit.
I wonder what a graph of bicycles vs electric cars would look like ?
Seems odd. Didn't iPhone shatter records in 2014? Or was there really that many crap droids release at that time to overtake iPhone? I wanna see a chart that breaks down PHONE'S or manufacturer's marketshare. I think that would show iPhone really high followed by Sammy and then the bottom filled with 100+ android manufacturers. Or a chart using phone usage. Most android phones are broken, used as a toy or in a drawer somewhere.