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Gartner: Android hits 36%, just 1.6m Windows Phones sold

updated 08:10 am EDT, Thu May 19, 2011

Android up to 36pc as Symbian, Windows collapse

A breakdown of phone share in early 2011 by Gartner has given Android another large leap in share while providing a rare direct estimate of Microsoft's actual Windows Phone sales. About 36.27 million Android devices shipped in the first quarter of 2011 and hit 36 percent, more than triple its share at the start of 2010. Microsoft meanwhile collapsed from 6.8 percent share a year ago to 3.6 percent as Windows Phone did little to offset a slight dip in phones to 3.66 million, just 1.6 million of which were modern Windows Phone devices.

The figure, which represented less than 44 percent of Microsoft's sales, was a reflection of a lack of interest from phone makers, Gartner said. Most that weren't also making their own OS preferred to focus on Android. Windows Phone gains were for now counting on Microsoft buying market share through its deal with Nokia, which may not produce results until early 2012.

The only other company to gain market share was Apple, whose iPhone in more than doubling shipments managed to move up to 16.8 percent. All of Android's gains were at the expense of other platforms. Nokia's Symbian fell apart and dropped from 44.2 percent to just 27.4 percent, knocking it out of the top spot. RIM was also overtaken by Apple as its slower growth saw it ship 13 million BlackBerrys and push it down from 19.7 percent share to just 12.9 percent.

When split by individual phone manufacturers, the results were more favorable for Apple, which moved up to being the fourth-largest phone maker in the world at 3.9 percent. Nokia, Samsung, and LG all lost share as any smartphone gains were more than offset by slumps in their basic phone sales. Android specialists like ZTE and HTC moved up quickly, although Motorola and Sony Ericsson were again hurt by their previous attachment to basic phones and were now smaller than HTC.

By Electronista Staff


  1. climacs

    Dedicated MacNNer

    Joined: Sep 2001


    that's unpossible

    Billy Gates just told me that Windows had not fallen behind in the mobile phone market.

    Who you gonna trust... a billionaire or your lying eyes?

  1. lkrupp

    Junior Member

    Joined: May 2001


    It's time!

    Time to start the Ballmer "stepping down" death spiral clock.

  1. WaltFrench

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jun 2003


    Is It Ballmer's Fault?

    Ballmer seems to understand that something needs to be done, but oversees a huge organization over which he has pretty limited influence, it seems.

    Yeah, yeah. He could have one-in-a-million level of charisma like some certain other tech CEO. He just doesn't though, and if you look at places like Dell or HP or even IBM, they are NOT structured to support this type of pell-mell technological change, with the brash leadership that requires, either.

    Well, at least Nokia and Skype are plans, sorta. I'm far from optimistic about the outcomes. But @lkrupp, when you have a few extra seconds, it'd be good to see what you'd do, or what some other real human being could do, differently.

  1. tfmeehan

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Mar 2009


    RE: Is it Ballmer's fault?

    Charisma has nothing to do with it. I also don't think structure has anything to do with it either, since many of these companies seem to manage to bring products to market.

    The problem seems to be with changing the thinking that goes into it. Nokia, Dell, Microsoft, etc. all seem to think that doing what they're already doing just MORE of it is the answer. That's why they tout features and gimmicks rather than focusing on what the user wants to do with it.

    Apple has shown them 4 times already; iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad. Don't they wonder why products with, essentially, inferior specs are eating their lunch on a regular basis? Often, while costing more?

    Android phones have been successful partly by being cheap but also because of the OS, not merely because of the features the various manufactures include.

    It boggles the mind that Apple has had a stranglehold on innovation for so long. They can't have the only creative engineers in the world. There must be a lot of frustrated R&D people out there, being held back by the myopia of the "Ballmers".

  1. SierraDragon

    Mac Elite

    Joined: Mar 2004


    tfmeehan: Well said.


    I was always amazed how Gates could orate for hours about "innovation" while never innovating. The gist being that by saying it enough maybe folks will believe that is what you actually do.

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