What is the strength of Android?

According to the results of the first quarter of 2012, Android continues to dominate the global smartphone sales market. Read below about the popularity of Android devices in local markets and the reasons for the growth of Windows Phone's market share.

Analysts from Kantar, after examining the largest smartphone markets, concluded that on average, 64.2% of smartphones sold globally run on Android. However, the percentage varies significantly from market to market. For example, in Spain, 93.5% of all sales are of this OS, while in Japan, it is only 45.8% (compared to 49.2% for iPhone).

Kantar predicts that in the future, Android will only strengthen its leadership position in the global market, partly due to the expanded distribution of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One, which will push BlackBerry, Nokia, and possibly Apple devices out of the market.

Despite the strong launch of the iPhone 5 in the US, iOS currently controls only 43.7% of the market compared to Android's 49.3%. The only platform also experiencing growth in sales on the American market, alongside Android, is Windows Phone. Over the past year, the OS has increased by 1.9 points and has captured a 5.6% market share.

In European countries, Microsoft's share of the mobile market is even higher at 6.5%, which is just three times less than iPhone's current share (19.4%).

What is the reason behind such success? Analyst Mary-Ann Parlato believes it is due to a successful advertising campaign targeting users who want to purchase their first smartphone. The strategy was effective, with 52% of American Windows Phone users previously using regular cell phones.

For comparison, 55% of iPhone users and 51% of Android users switched to them from other smartphones. Considering that more than half of the current market in the US and Canada consists of regular "handsets," Windows Phone has room to grow.