Android and iOS Capture 82 Percent of Smart Phone Market

Smart phones powered by the Android and iOS mobile operating systems accounted for 82 percent of the smart phone market in the first quarter, according to market research firm International Data Corporation.

Android captured 89.9 million units or 59 percent of the 152.3 million smart phones shipped, while the iOS-powered iPhones seized 23 percent or 35.1 million units. Android sales had gone up 145 percent from the same period in 2011, as Apple’s iPhone shipments went up by 88.7 percent.

“The popularity of Android and iOS stems from a combination of factors that the competition has struggled to keep up with,” Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst with IDC’s Mobile Phone Technology and Trends program, said in a statement. “Neither Android nor iOS were the first to market with some of these features, but the way they made the smart phone experience intuitive and seamless has quickly earned a massive following.”

Meanwhile, BlackBerry sales continued to plummet, although the official release of BlackBerry 10 smart phones later this year is expected to push the numbers up. Mobile operating system Symbian posted the largest year-over-year decline this quarter, in part due to Nokia’s transition to Windows Phone.

Linux continued to maintain its small presence in the smart phone market with Samsung accounting for 81.6 percent of all Linux-powered devices, while Windows Mobile has yet to make significant inroads in the smart phone market, but is expected to perk up from its new customer, Nokia.