-By Oriade Ayomide
Android has replaced Nokia’s Series 40 as the most popular mobile operating system (OS) in Africa. According to StatCounter, Android usage increased from 16 per cent in October last year to 28 per cent last month, while Nokia’s Series 40 declined from 35 per cent to 27 per cent in the four months.
Apple’s iOS saw substantial growth, but it only controls four per cent of the African market. The International Data Corporation (IDC) reported last year Android accounted for 81 per cent of all smartphone shipments worldwide in the third quarter of 2013.Windows Phone usage increase by 156 per cent at the same time.
“Both platforms have a selection of devices available at prices low enough to be affordable to the mass market, and it is the mass market that is driving the entire market forward,” said Ramon Llamos, research manager at IDC’s Mobile Phone Lab.
