Android captured almost half of the global smartphone market

According to a report by research company Canalys, Android captured 48% of the smartphone market in the second quarter of 2011.

The platform showed significant growth last year, having surpassed Symbian in the fourth quarter of 2010 in terms of the number of deliveries and with a market share of 32.9%, ranking first among smartphone platforms.

In general, the popularity of smartphones continues to grow rapidly around the world, reaching a total of 107.7 million units in the second quarter of 2011, an increase of 73% year on year.
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Android became the biggest engine for smartphone sales in the second quarter - the number of shipments on this platform grew by 379% year on year, reaching 51.9 million units. Successful products from Samsung, HTC, LG, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, ZTE and Huawei were named the catalyst for the growth of the platform.

Apple also performed well with the iOS platform, which overtook Nokia’s Symbian and rose from third to second place. A total of 20.3 million iPhones were delivered, and Apple’s market share was 19%. Apple also became the leader among smartphone vendors on its own platforms, shifting Nokia from the first place it had long owned.

Samsung also overtook Nokia, which was faced with a rapid decline in demand in many markets. However, Nokia still holds leadership in emerging markets and in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China).

via Mashable