The latest numbers from research firm Gartner reveal that the smartphone industry continues to be largely a two-horse race between iOS and Android. The two mobile operating systems combined for 98.4 percent worldwide market share in the fourth calendar quarter of 2015, compared to 96.4 percent in the year-ago quarter.
Android remained the world's most widely used smartphone operating system with 80.7 percent market share, while iOS recorded 17.7 percent market share. The fourth quarter has historically been the most successful for iPhone and Android-based smartphone sales due to the holiday shopping season.
Apple and Samsung shipped a collective 551.2 million smartphones in 2015, trailed by Huawei, Lenovo-Motorola, and Xiaomi with 107.1 million, 73.9 million, and 72 million shipments respectively, according to recent Strategy Analytics data. Global smartphone shipments totaled a record 1.44 billion in 2015.
Windows Phone was perhaps the closest platform to being a true third place competitor, but its market share has dwindled as iOS and Android continue to grow. Samsung and Mozilla also have Linux-based mobile operating systems in Tizen and Firefox OS respectively, but adoption of each platform is comparatively slim.
Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself.
Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices.
Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025:
Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
The first iOS 19 beta is less than two months away, and there are already a handful of new features that are expected with the update.
Apple should release the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September.
Below, we recap the key...
Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:28 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
If you have been experiencing issues with wireless CarPlay in your vehicle lately, it was likely due to a software bug that has now been fixed.
Apple released iOS 18.4.1 today, and the update's release notes say it "addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles."
If wireless CarPlay was acting up for you, updating your iPhone to iOS 18.4.1 should...
Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup.
If you skipped the iPhone...
Apple may have updated several iPads and Macs late last year and early this year, but there are still multiple new devices that we're looking forward to seeing in 2025. Most will come in September or October, but there could be a few surprises before then.
We've rounded up a list of everything that we're still waiting to see from Apple in 2025.
iPhone 17, 17 Air, and 17 Pro - We get...
Wednesday April 16, 2025 10:11 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today released iOS 18.4.1 and iPadOS 18.4.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that came out last September. iOS 18.4.1 and iPadOS 18.4.1 come two weeks after the launch of iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4.
The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
There have been complaints about ...
Apple today updated its vintage products list to add the 2018 Mac mini and the iPhone 6s, devices that will get more limited service and repairs now that they are considered vintage.
The iPhone 6s initially launched in 2015, but Apple kept it around as a low-cost device until 2018, which is why it is only now being added to the vintage list. The iPhone 6s had Apple's A9 chip, and it was...
Wednesday April 16, 2025 10:04 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today released tvOS 18.4.1, a minor update to the tvOS 18 operating system that came out last September. tvOS 18.4.1 comes two weeks after Apple released tvOS 18.4, and it is available for the Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD models.
tvOS 18.4.1 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the Apple TV. Open up Settings and go to System > Software Update to get the new software....
Not sure what those entities have to do with this thread.
You said consumers should care about profits, and I'm guessing when your electric bill, gas bill, cell bill, interest rate etc goes up, you aren't cheering the companies on because they are making a good profit.
iOS and Android Capture Combined 98.4% Share of Smartphone Market
Interesting language in the title.
Really, it should read something like "Apple secures just 17.7% of market, down from 20.4%" or "Apple's smartphone market share declines to 17.7%". But by lumping Apple in with Android, MacRumors are trying to make it all sound positive for Apple.
Microsoft could use the same logic by saying "iOS, Android and Windows Phone capture combined 99.5% share of smartphone market"
No mention of the fact that Windows is at 87%. No mention of the fact that various Linuxes and Unixes make up another 2% or so.
But when we talk about iOS, it's important to talk about the market share that everyone else has, and the fact that iOS + Android make up 98% of the market, even though nearly identical statements could be said about OS X and Windows. [doublepost=1455811689][/doublepost] That's because Microsoft has thrown in the towel. They're now putting their services on Android and iOS devices.
Although I feel that the move was premature. I feel like they could really use laptops running Windows 10 to sell Surface products, which could then be used to sell Windows 10 Phones.
My view is that Microsoft really screwed up and had a great chance to come up with a third alternative system that would have had great leverage in taking advantage of Windows 10. Instead, they are short sighted and only playing with others.
