Despite beating Wall Street expectations in terms of
shipment volumes, Apple's share in the worldwide smartphone operating system
market posted a year-over-year decline during the second quarter of 2013
(2Q13). Meanwhile, Android and Windows Phone both managed slight increases
during the same period. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC)
Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, vendors shipped a total of 236.4
million smartphones in 2Q13, up 51.3% from the 156.2 million units shipped in
2Q12. Second quarter shipments grew 9.3% when compared to the 216.3 million
units shipped in 1Q13.
"The iOS decline in the second quarter aligns with the
cyclicality of iPhone," says Ramon Llamas, Research Manager with IDC's
Mobile Phone team. "Without a new product launch since the debut of the
iPhone 5 nearly a year ago, Apple’s market share was vulnerable to product
launches from the competition. But with a new iPhone and revamped iOS coming
out later this year, Apple is well-positioned to re-capture market share."