Android ahoy
Sales of Android phones have soared by a staggering 350 percent from the start of 2010 with more people plumping for the open source platform despite the launch of the iPhone 4.
Android's share of the UK mobile contract market increased by over 10 percent since the start of this year, from 3 percent in Q1 to 13.2 percent in Q2, according to the latest figures from GfK Retail and Technology.
During this period, while contract market sales grew by less than 1%, sales of Android phones increased by a staggering 350%, perhaps spurred on by highly anticipated handsets such as HTC's Desire and Samsung's Galaxy S.
Phones with an advanced operating system such as Android or Apple's iOS 4 which can run applications continued to grow in the contract market, accounting for two thirds in Q2 2010 compared with 55 percent in Q1 2010.
The research also found advanced operating systems made up almost three quarters of the market in June and analysts have tipped them to rise consistently in popularity throughout the year.
"The figures suggest an increasing number of consumers are now asking for Android handsets by name. Operating systems are no longer simply a by-product but a key selling point in their own right," said GfK analyst Megan Baldock.