Android and Apple smartphones captured a whopping 92 per cent of global sales in the fourth quarter, giving the two systems an effective duopoly, a research firm said.
Strategy Analytics said global smartphone shipments grew 38 per cent annually to reach 217 million units in the fourth quarter, to bring annual sales to 700 million.
Android, the free operating system developed by Google, grabbed 70 per cent of the market in the final three months of the year, while Apple’s iOS used on its iPhone held 22 per cent.
The news bodes ill for rivals like BlackBerry maker Research in Motion, which is launching its new platform this year, and Microsoft, which is pushing its Windows Phone system.
“Android is clearly the undisputed volume leader of the smartphone industry at the present time,” said Strategy Analytics executive director Neil Mawston.
“Android’s challenge for this year will be to defend its leadership, not only against Apple, but also against an emerging wave of hungry challengers that includes Microsoft, Blackberry, Firefox and Tizen.”