According to IDC the global smartphone market hit a new milestone on Q2 2014 as shipments surpass 300 million units for the first time. The analyst says shipments total 301.3m units, up by 25.3% from Q2 2013.
The quarter also sees growth for the two dominant smartphone operating systems-- combined iOS-Android market share reaches 96.4%, leaving little space for the rest of the competition, even if iOS market share is down despite 12.7% growth on iPhone shipments reaching 35.2m units.
In fact the analyst describes iPhone volume for the quarter as the lowest yet, even if it predicts a Q3 2014 boost in the shape of new iDevices.
On the other hand Android device shipments reach 255.3m units with 33.3% Y-o-Y growth.
"It's been an incredible upward slog for other OS players-- Windows Phone has been around since 2010 but has yet to break the 5% share mark, while the backing of the world's largest smartphone player, Samsung, has not boosted Tizen into the spotlight," IDC says. "The biggest stumbling block is around getting enough partnerships in play-- not just phone manufacturers but also developers, many of which are smaller outfits looking to minimise development efforts by sticking to the two big ecosystems."
