Smartphones Exploding Thanks To Android

Smartphone growth is exploding around the world, as Google’s open-source Android operating system drives prices down, according to a study by market research firm IDC. The study found that smartphone sales reached 101 million in the fourth quarter, up 87 percent from a year earlier. Smartphones sales for 2010 were 302 million, up 75 percent on the year.

“Android continues to gain by leaps and bounds, helping to drive the smartphone market,” said Ramon Llamas, Analyst, IDC. He called the Android operating system the “cornerstone” of the smartphone strategy for many vendors and the biggest challenger to Nokia’s Symbian OS, the market leader.

Nokia was still the market leader with 33.1 percent, down from 39 percent the year earlier. Research in Motion, the maker of the BlackBerry, also saw its share decline from 19.9 percent to 16.1 percent. Apple’s share rose from 14.5 percent to 15.7 percent.

The most impressive gains were made by Samsung, whose Android-powered phones sold 23 million units compared to 5.5 million in 2009, more than doubling its market share to 7.6 percent. HTC also saw impressive gains, selling 21.5 million smartphones, up from 8.1 million in 2009, to increase its market share to 7.1 percent from 4.7 percent.