GOOGLE’S ANDROID dethroned Nokia’s Symbian as the global leader in smartphone software in the last quarter of 2010, ending a reign that began with the birth of the industry a decade ago.
The reshuffle underscores how quickly Google, which offers its software to phone makers for free, has raced to the top of the smartphone market ahead of Apple’s rapid ascension. Google and Apple have revolutionised the smartphone market in recent years, sending Nokia scrambling.
In the fourth quarter, phonemakers sold 32.9 million Android-equipped phones globally, roughly seven times more than the year-earlier quarter, compared with Symbian’s sales of 31 million, according to research firm Canalys.
The numbers also highlight Google’s success in battling Apple, whose shipments of its popular iPhone increased to 16.2 million from 8.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2009.
Unlike Apple or Nokia, Google does not make its own phone hardware but instead offers its Android operating system free to other phone makers. As a result, Android has become the standard software for many phone makers.
Only Nokia, Apple and Rim (Research In Motion) have so far resisted using Android software.
Meanwhile, Symbian suffered from the troubles of its owner and main user, Nokia, which last week warned of a grim start to 2011 after rivals ate more of its smartphone market share. – (Reuters)
