Android sales surge in UK

Android

Android continues to gain popularity in the UK, with its market share dramatically increasing over the past three months.

GfK Retail and Technology (GfK), a market research company, has claimed devices based on the Google operating system have taken 13.2 per cent of market share in the UK in the second quarter of 2010, up from just three per cent in the previous quarter.

Despite a less than one per cent increase in overall contract sales in the second quarter, sales of Android phones went up by a massive 350 per cent, according to the research.

"The figures suggest an increasing number of consumers are now asking for Android handsets by name," said Megan Baldock, an analyst at GfK.

"Operating systems are no longer simply a by-product but a key selling point in their own right."

Overall market share of smartphones, or what GfK describe as handsets with "advanced operating systems," grew from 55 per cent in the first quarter to 66.7 per cent in the second.

The company predicted this growth will continue, with its latest monthly data showing market share dominance of 73.5 per cent when it came to the contract phone market.

Jennifer Scott

Jennifer Scott is a former freelance journalist and currently political reporter for Sky News. She has a varied writing history, having started her career at Dennis Publishing, working in various roles across its business technology titles, including ITPro. Jennifer has specialised in a number of areas over the years and has produced a wealth of content for ITPro, focusing largely on data storage, networking, cloud computing, and telecommunications.

Most recently Jennifer has turned her skills to the political sphere and broadcast journalism, where she has worked for the BBC as a political reporter, before moving to Sky News.