From CNET: Google's Android mobile operating system has reached a major milestone.
For the first time ever, worldwide shipments of smartphones packing Android exceeded 1 billion units in 2014, a significant gain from the 780.8 million units that shipped around the world in 2013, researcher Strategy Analytics announced Thursday. Android dwarfed its second-place competitor, Apple's iOS, which mustered 192.7 million worldwide shipments in 2014.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The data from Strategy Analytics shows that the worldwide smartphone market -- divvied up by operating system -- is essentially a two-horse race between Apple and Google. But while iOS, which runs only on Apple devices, has a respectable share of 15 percent, it would have a very long way to go to pull significantly closer to Android. Google's operating system is running on far more devices, hits the entry-level market on a variety of fronts with budget-friendly devices, and has proven to be the go-to option for dozens of vendors worldwide.
That said, Apple's been doing all right for itself lately. Strategy Analytics said Wednesday that Apple's share of the global smartphone market -- broken down by brand -- edged up to 20 percent in the fourth quarter, putting it into a tie with Samsung, the leading maker of Android devices. While Apple was ticking upward, though, Samsung had dropped from 30 percent in the same quarter a year earlier.
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