Supermarket sweep
Tesco has announced that sales of Android phones on its own network have surpassed those of Apple's iPhone.
TescoMobile, the supermarket's phone business that offers handsets on O2's network, said that the iPhone was selling better than Android mobiles before Christmas last year but sales of the 2 platforms levelled out in January, with Android pulling ahead in February, IT ProPortal reported.
Tesco reportedly reckons it will sell plenty more Android phones and predicts the Google platform to grow ‘meteorically' in 2011. There were certainly plenty of new Android offerings unveiled at MWC that are sure to capture the public's attention.
However, Apple is hotly tipped to release its iPhone 5 handset in the summer, which no doubt will put a dent in Android's market share as fanboys flock to update their existing Apple handset.
However it will be interesting to note whether Android's growth slows as a result, especially as there are more entry-level budget Android smartphones on offer than ever before.
Graham Harris, chief executive officer of Tesco Telecoms and Tesco Mobile reportedly said: "As one of the UK's leading operators, these sales are a useful barometer for smartphone trends. There is a lot of choice in the market and as a result consumers are driving healthy competition between rival operating systems."
Recent IDC figures apparently appear to back Tesco's assertions as the latest report found that shipments of Android smartphones to Western Europe have grown by a staggering 1,580 percent year-on-year.
The research firm also reportedly predicted that Google's platform will see an annual compound growth rate of 37 percent in Western Europe from 2010 to 2015.
