Research firm IDC expects the global smartphone market to grow by 49.2 percent this year, while the company also claims that Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 platform has a very bright future. IDC estimates that smartphone vendors will ship more than 450 million smartphones in 2011 compared to the 303.4 million units shipped in 2010. This is a growth rate four times faster than the overall mobile phone market.
In terms of operating systems, IDC believes Android is poised to take over as the leading smartphone platform in 2011 after racing into the number two position in 2010. “For the vendors who made Android the cornerstone of their smartphone strategies, 2010 was the coming-out party,” said Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst at IDC. “This year will see a coronation party as these same vendors broaden and deepen their portfolios to reach more customers, particularly first-time smartphone users.” Llamas also claims that Nokia’s alliance with Microsoft will massively boost the prospects for Windows Phone 7. “We expect the first devices to launch in 2012,” adds Llamas. “By 2015, IDC expects Windows Phone to be the number two operating system worldwide behind Android.”
| 2011 | 2015 | CAGR | |
| Android | 39.5{e1f18614b95d3cd6e4b3128e1cd15d99b042a60a5a19c19b7a8e07e7495efa10} | 45.4{e1f18614b95d3cd6e4b3128e1cd15d99b042a60a5a19c19b7a8e07e7495efa10} | 23.8{e1f18614b95d3cd6e4b3128e1cd15d99b042a60a5a19c19b7a8e07e7495efa10} |
| Symbian | 20.9{e1f18614b95d3cd6e4b3128e1cd15d99b042a60a5a19c19b7a8e07e7495efa10} | 0.2{e1f18614b95d3cd6e4b3128e1cd15d99b042a60a5a19c19b7a8e07e7495efa10} | -65.0{e1f18614b95d3cd6e4b3128e1cd15d99b042a60a5a19c19b7a8e07e7495efa10} |
| iOS | 15.7{e1f18614b95d3cd6e4b3128e1cd15d99b042a60a5a19c19b7a8e07e7495efa10} | 15.3{e1f18614b95d3cd6e4b3128e1cd15d99b042a60a5a19c19b7a8e07e7495efa10} | 18.8{e1f18614b95d3cd6e4b3128e1cd15d99b042a60a5a19c19b7a8e07e7495efa10} |
| BlackBerry | 14.9{e1f18614b95d3cd6e4b3128e1cd15d99b042a60a5a19c19b7a8e07e7495efa10} | 13.7{e1f18614b95d3cd6e4b3128e1cd15d99b042a60a5a19c19b7a8e07e7495efa10} | 17.1{e1f18614b95d3cd6e4b3128e1cd15d99b042a60a5a19c19b7a8e07e7495efa10} |
| Windows | 5.5{e1f18614b95d3cd6e4b3128e1cd15d99b042a60a5a19c19b7a8e07e7495efa10} | 20.9{e1f18614b95d3cd6e4b3128e1cd15d99b042a60a5a19c19b7a8e07e7495efa10} | 67.1{e1f18614b95d3cd6e4b3128e1cd15d99b042a60a5a19c19b7a8e07e7495efa10} |
| Others | 3.5{e1f18614b95d3cd6e4b3128e1cd15d99b042a60a5a19c19b7a8e07e7495efa10} | 4.6{e1f18614b95d3cd6e4b3128e1cd15d99b042a60a5a19c19b7a8e07e7495efa10} | 28.0{e1f18614b95d3cd6e4b3128e1cd15d99b042a60a5a19c19b7a8e07e7495efa10} |
| TOTAL | 100{e1f18614b95d3cd6e4b3128e1cd15d99b042a60a5a19c19b7a8e07e7495efa10} | 100{e1f18614b95d3cd6e4b3128e1cd15d99b042a60a5a19c19b7a8e07e7495efa10} | 19.6{e1f18614b95d3cd6e4b3128e1cd15d99b042a60a5a19c19b7a8e07e7495efa10} |
