Samsung’s success sees Android software dominate smartphone market

The success of Samsung’s Android phones helped Google’s operating system extend its dominance in the smartphone market as four Android phones were shipped for every iPhone in the second quarter of this year.

Samsung and other phone makers shipped nearly 105m Android smartphones from April to June, giving Android 68% of the worldwide market, up from 47% last year.

The gains came largely at the expense of Research in Motion’s BlackBerry and the Symbian phones made largely by Nokia. Each saw its market share drop below 5%. Nokia is now making phones that use Microsoft’s Windows system.

The market share for Apple’s iPhone, powered by its iOS software, fell to 17%, from 19%. However, the company shipped more iPhones than a year ago.

Apple is the No 2 smartphone maker, behind Samsung, and is likely to get a boost when it releases its new iPhone in the autumn.

In recent years, Google has mounted a serious challenge with Android and benefits from having several manufacturers as partners, including Samsung, HTC , and Motorola Mobility, which Google ended up buying this year.

Apple still dominates in tablet computers, with 68% of the market in the second quarter. Google is trying to close the gap with its own- branded Android tablet, the Nexus 7 Amazon.

Samsung’s Galaxy S III received good reviews when it was released late in the second quarter. It also benefits from the company’s strategy of making various devices that target a range of consumers. By contrast, Apple targets only the high- end market with its iPhone.

Samsung accounted for 44% of all Android phones in the quarter, and shipped more Android phones than the next seven Android phone makers combined.

Samsung shipped 50.2m smartphones in the quarter and Apple 26m iPhones.

Worldwide, smartphone shipments grew 42% to 154m in the second quarter.