Global shipments of smartphones running Google’s Android operating system outpaced shipments of Nokia’s Symbian-powered smartphones in the fourth quarter of 2010.
According to UK-based market research firm Canalys, manufacturers shipped 33.3 million Android phones worldwide, compared to Nokia’s 31 million.
Nokia is still the single largest smartphone maker, but its hold on the higher end of the market has been steadily slipping in the face of competition from Apple and Google.
The growth of Android is set to cement Google’s dominance in the mobile advertising industry as it seeks go where users are. US researchers Gartner recently predicted that more people would access the internet through mobile devices than through PCs in 2011.
Meanwhile, BlackBerry-maker RIM said that its smartphone topped the charts in the UK in 2010. According to internal figures, the company claimed 28.2% of the local smartphone market in 2010, with a 36% share in December alone.
While analysts agree that the momentum is with Android, BlackBerry’s BBM messaging app has spurred adoption among younger consumers.
It is still necessary for marketers to conduct cross-platform mobile advertising to reach the widest audience – no single operating system or platform yet claims outright dominance.
