Canalys: Smart Mobile Device Shipments hit 308.7 M units in Q1; Apple 19.3% and Android 59.5%

According to a new report from Canalys,  Q1 2013 saw a shipment of over 308.7 million units of smart mobile device (notebook, tablet and smart phone) worldwide. This represents year-on-year growth of 37.4%.

Google will be happy to note that their Android OS, used by the Open Handset Alliance continues to dominate, with Android the OS of choice on 59.5% of all smart mobile devices shipped. Apple accounts for 19.3% of the smart phone and tablet PC markets, while Microsoft’s share was 18.1%.

The report also highlighted that the tablet market continues to be the fastest growing segment, despite recent comments from Chief Executive Officer Thorsten Heins stating the opposite.

According to the report: “Worldwide, tablet shipments grew 106.1% year-on-year to 41.9 million units. Though Apple continues to lead in the tablet space with a 46.4% share, it lost share to its Android-based rivals for the third consecutive quarter.”

‘Spearheaded by Google and Amazon, the commoditization of the tablet market has happened far quicker than that of the wider PC market,’ said Canalys Senior Analyst, Tim Coulling. ‘Profit margins are being squeezed and vendors without a low cost structure will find it hard to compete. A solid range of must-have accessories and a software and services strategy are vital as vendors will increasingly need to make revenue around their devices.’

In the smartphone segment, Apple achieved a modest annual growth of 6.7%, while Samsung’s smartphone volume grew by 64.3% year-on-year. Hence, the clamor for a low-cost iPhone from investors.

‘Despite its slowing growth, Apple still shipped over 37 million iPhones,’ said Pete Cunningham, Canalys Principal Analyst. ‘But HTC and Samsung have raised the bar with their latest handsets and Apple needs to respond with its next iPhone. The iPhone user interface is now six years old and badly in need of a refresh. Hardware-wise, the biggest dilemma that Apple faces is what it does with the size of the display on the next iPhone. It cannot afford to ignore the trend for larger displays in premium smart phones. We expect an increase on the iPhone 5’s 4″ display but are not anticipating a “Phablet”-style iPhone.’

Source: Canalys