This will definitely rattle Apple’s cage, even for just a moment.
According to study conducted by ComScore, a digital research company, the Android mobile operating system has increased in popularity in five significant European markets, overtaking Apple’s iOS, and becoming the second most popular mobile operating system in the area.
The ComScore study revealed that Android usage has dramatically increased over the year and is now firmly entrenched in second place behind Nokia’s Symbian OS, which is still the top mobile platform in many areas in Europe.
A study made in July 2010 showed that Android only had 6 percent of the market in what is called the EU5 – countries that comprise Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. But the study this year showed that Android market share has jumped to 22.3 percent. The iOS also enjoyed an increase in market share but it was only a 1.2 percent increase to 20.3 percent. The BlackBerry OS also rose in market share – a slightly higher 1.5 percent but it is still at fourth place in market share with just 9.4 percent of the market.
The most predictable move is Symbian’s drop in market share, as it lost 16.1 percent of the market over the last year – from 53.9 percent to 37.8 percent. Microsoft’s mobile OS also lost users as it now only has 4.8 percent compared to 6.7 percent a year ago.
Android’s rising popularity may be attributed to the availability of more affordable Android-enabled smartphones from different phone manufacturers. It’s the price factor that will really determine which OS will win the battle for smartphone shares.
Originally posted on September 14, 2011 @ 4:34 pm
