IDC: global smartphone shipments surpass 300 million in Q2

The premier provider of market intelligence IDC released its latest report on the state of the global smartphone shipments. The market has reached yet another milestone by surpassing 300 million devices shipped. Apple iOS and Android categorically dominate the smartphone realm with a combined market share of 96.4% (84.7% for Android and 11.7% for iOS). The percentages translate into 255.3 million Android devices shipped and 35.2 iOS handsets. Both major platforms have seen substantial year over year increase. Android has grown by the whopping 33.3% since the same period last year, while iOS saw its shipments grow by 12.7% compared to Q2 of 2013. Curiously, iOS had its overall market share over the past year despite the increase in device shipments. Windows Phone came in a distant third in the race with 2.5% share from 7.4 million shipped devices. Microsoft's platform is down by 9.4% since Q2 of 2013. A year ago, Windows Phone looked a tad better with 8.2 million shipped devices shipped and 3.4% market share. BlackBerry devices are almost an afterthought at this point. The once mighty Canadian manufacturer has shipped 1.5 million devices on its way to 0.5% market share in Q2 this year. Its numbers are down a staggering 78% since last year. The overall growth of the smartphone market has been driven by the manufacturers' focus on budget-friendly, sub-$200 devices. As expected already, the recent introduction of Android One and the imminent arrival of sub-$100 phones guarantees that future growth will continue to be driven by low-cost devices. Source...