Android and iOS, the number one and number two ranked smartphone operating systems worldwide, combined for 92.3% of all smartphone shipments during the first quarter of 2013 as Windows Phone crept past BlackBerry for 3rd place, according to data gathered by International Data Corporation (IDC).
The research company’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker revealed that Android smartphone vendors and Apple shipped a total of 199.5 million units worldwide during 1Q13, up 59.1% from the 125.4 million units shipped during 1Q12.
Android remains the leader in the smartphone operating system market, increasing its market share despite the seasonality working against the entire smartphone market in the first quarter. Samsung was once again the clear leader among all Android smartphone vendors, commanding 41.1% market share. Following Samsung was a long list of vendors with single-digit market share, and an even longer list of vendors with market share less than one percent.
Apple iOS marked its largest ever first quarter volume on the strength of its iPhone shipment volumes, yet the operating system posted a year-over-year decline in market share and lower year-over-year shipment growth than the overall market. Although demand remains strong worldwide, the iOS experience has remained largely the same since the first iPhone debuted in 2007. That appears ready to change as online rumors and speculation predict a massive overhaul of the user interface when iOS 7 debuts. 
Windows Phone posted the largest year-over-year gain among the leading operating systems, more than doubling its size from a year ago. Nokia was largely responsible for driving these volumes higher, accounting for 79.0% of all Windows Phone shipments during the quarter. Since Nokia began shipping Windows Phone devices, the company has shipped a total of 20.3 million units and grown the footprint worldwide to include address multiple market segments.
BlackBerry realized double-digit declines from a year ago, but this masks the progress that the company has made since then. In its first quarter of availability, BlackBerry formally introduced and shipped more than a million units running on its new BB10 platform, a significant breakthrough for the company. At the same time, BlackBerry still relied on its BB7 smartphones for the majority of its shipment volume, which, due to their lower prices, were well received within key markets.
Linux saw continued decline in shipment volumes to start off the year, reaching levels not seen since 1Q10. The lower volumes were not completely unexpected, as most vendors have switched to Android and Samsung, Linux’s biggest OEM supporter, readies the debut of its first Tizen-powered smartphones for later this year.
Symbian recorded the largest year-over-year decline compared to any other operating system. The decline for Symbian-powered smartphones was expected as its primary OEM supporter Nokia has transitioned to Windows Phone and Japanese vendors have moved to Android. Although shipments continue to decline, IDC believes that Symbian shipments could continue into 2014, but in drastically lower volumes.
Top Five Smartphone Operating Systems, Shipments, and Market Share, 1Q 2013 (Units in Millions)
| Operating System | 1Q13 Shipment Volume | 1Q13 Market Share | 1Q12 Shipment Volume | 1Q12 Market Share | Year over Year Change |
| Android | 162.1 | 75.0% | 90.3 | 59.1% | 79.5% |
| iOS | 37.4 | 17.3% | 35.1 | 23.0% | 6.6% |
| Windows Phone | 7.0 | 3.2% | 3.0 | 2.0% | 133.3% |
| BlackBerry OS | 6.3 | 2.9% | 9.7 | 6.4% | -35.1% |
| Linux | 2.1 | 1.0% | 3.6 | 2.4% | -41.7% |
| Symbian | 1.2 | 0.6% | 10.4 | 6.8% | -88.5% |
| Others | 0.1 | 0.0% | 0.6 | 0.4% | -83.3% |
| Total | 216.2 | 100.0% | 152.7 | 100.0% | 41.6%
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