While the battle for the top spot in the smartphone world continues to be between Apple's iOS and Google's Android, new signs suggest that Nokia's Windows Phone line-up, led by the Lumia 920, is shaking things up against BlackBerry on the bottom tier.
According to new data from the IDC research firm, Windows Phone overtook BlackBerry as the third most popular mobile operating system during the first quarter of 2013.
Although BlackBerry launched the new Z10 during the first quarter, much of its shipment volume was made up of BB7, which was still popular thanks to its cheaper price. While that could mean BlackBerry will see a noticeable boost from Z10 and, further along, Q10 sales, IDC reported that the company's first quarter market share dipped to 2.9 percent.
Windows Phone, meanwhile, grew to 3.2 percent. That may not seem like much, but it's a 133 percent change over the previous year. The Lumia 920 was certainly a boost to Nokia's line-up, but it'll look to the newly announced Lumia 925 and 928 to keep its momentum going.
"Windows Phone claiming the third spot is a first and helps validate the direction taken by Microsoft and key partner Nokia," Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, said. "Given the relatively low volume generated, the Windows Phone camp will need to show further gains to solidify its status as an alterative to Android or iOS."
While Android and iOS still made up 92 percent of the entire smartphone operating system market, IDC said this new data shows that people are searching for alternatives. They just haven't settled on one yet.
"Android and iOS accounted for more than the lion's share of smartphones in the first quarter, but a closer examination of the other platforms reveals turnaround and demand for alternatives. Windows Phone has benefited from Nokia's participation, and BlackBerry's new BB10 devices have already hit a million units shipped in its first quarter of availability."
