Android was the dominant mobile operating system in the final quarter of 2013, ahead of Apple, Windows Phone and Blackberry, according to the latest GlobalWebIndex (GWI) study.
Following what was also a healthy period for Android in the tablet market, GWI’s results reveal that during 2013, Android’s mobile market share climbed from 27% to 65% – a 270% increase since the end of 2011.
While Apple’s iOS was used by just 20% of the global mobile internet audience, it had a much greater than average market share in the US (42%), Australia (40%) and Canada (37%).
Samsung was found to be the most popular handset with 36% penetration, followed by Nokia (22%) and the iPhone (19%).
The report also revealed the popularity of device sharing – particularly among tablet users, with 54% sharing their device with at least one other person. Globally, 23% share their mobile phones.
Privacy remains a growing worry amongst internet users with 56% of respondents claiming that they felt the internet is eroding their privacy; 28% of people use VPNs (virtual private networks) or proxy servers when they go online – the most popular reason being to access better entertainment content (52%).
“It’s clear that device sharing is a major phenomenon, something which has big implications for how we understand the total number of people using the internet,” said Jason Mander, head of trends at GWI.
“We were also struck by just how many people are using VPNs to go online. Some are doing this to hide their identity and stay anonymous, but many are simply looking for top-quality entertainment: we don’t want to miss the latest shows just because we don’t live in the country where they’re broadcast.”
