Android is proving to be the most successful Operating system of all time.

Going with the recent study release by International Data Corporation, Android’s market share has increased from 79% to 85%. This is a 33% growth, meaning 85% of all smartphones on Earth now run on Android. Out of every 100 people you meet with a smartphone, 85 will be using Android. This doesn’t apply to me however. Everybody I know uses Android.

The other Operating Systems didn’t perform quite well. In the same 12 months, Apple’s overrated iOS dropped from 13% market share to 11%. Windows Phone dropped from 3.4% to 2.5% while Blackberry fell to less than 1%.

Android still leads in terms of shipment volume and this will quadruple in the following year, I expect, especially with the coming of Android One. Android One will be the game changer for mobile phone usage. Feature phones and other overrated mid-range smartphones will perish quickly unless they do something. The whole world will go Android. I don’t know if this will be a good thing.

Android One is a reference platform — it’s a set of rules that device makers can follow to make low-cost phones. It makes it easier for manufacturers to develop and produce devices, because Google is doing all of the hard work figuring out materials costs. For Google, it ensures that even low-end devices can run its software and run it well, providing everyone with a uniformly decent experience. – The Verge

Windows phone’s drop is not good news. I expected a growth. In Kenya for example, Windows Phone usage has really increased. The most common Windows Phone remains the Nokia 520, and perhaps this is why Windows isn’t winning on Market share. Their low end phones are still in the ‘mid range’ price category for most buyers. You know, I can find an Android phone at 5,000 shillings and that’s why Android is winning. In some quarters this is not a good thing as quality has really been compromised, but Android One will probably solve this mess.

iOS statistics may change to the positive in the coming year. iPhones screen sizes are increasing to 4.7 inches and 6 inches and iOS is also slowly mutating to appear Android-ish. The iPhone 6 will be an Android Phone 3 years ago. LOL. That’s almost a lie. Almost. It is true in so many ways.

Blackberry however remains special. In the next year, they will either die completely or launch another ridiculous phone like the Blackberry Passport. What the hell was that? [pullquote]What the hell is the BlackBerry Passport?[/pullquote]

Google’s main problem now will be how to contain Android. How to make sure it doesn’t fall in the coming years. How to remain at the top. How to make sure every phone running Android is of good quality and (a by the way), how to ensure updates for every Android user. Android owns the Low End and Mid Range market. iOS runs the High End market. Windows is coming up in the Mid Range sector and is giving Android a run in the Low End.

I hope upcoming Operating Systems like the Sailfish OS rise and get counted in the future. I really want to see the Jolla in Kenya.