Not Just Apple, Android Broke The Record Too

It's not just Apple who is selling more iPhones than ever before, but last year Android also broke the record. According to an analyst firm, one billion smartphones running Google's mobile OS were shipped over the 12 month period.

The rise is 30 percent over the previous year, meaning that 81 percent of mobile phones shipped in 2014 were running Android.

"According to the latest research from our WSS (Smartphones) service, global smartphone shipments grew 30 percent annually to reach a record 1.3 billion units in 2014. Android accounted for 81 percent of all smartphones last year and shipped over 1 billion units worldwide for the first time ever," wrote Strategy Analytics, in a report.

"Global smartphone shipments grew 30 percent annually from 1.0 billion units in 2013 to a record 1.3 billion in 2014. Emerging markets, such as China and Indonesia, drove the industry's growth last year and they will continue to do so through 2015."

Microsoft managed to ship 38.8 million smartphones - 3 percent of marketshare worldwide in 2014.

The number isn't directly comparable, as Apple reports on devices sold to users while Android device manufacturers generally report devices shipped. A point worth mentioning would be that the profits and market share not the same metric. Android devices run on more devices and Apple is raking in more of the cash.

Google should be pleased with Android's dominance but it's not all going to plain sailing in the future, Digital Trends writes. Firms like OnePlus are working on alternative forks of the operating system that would eventually take some control away from Google. Reportedly, Microsoft has also invested in the alternative CyanogenMod version of Android.