On Friday, the Mannheim Regional Court of Germany announced that Motorola’s patent lawsuit against Apple had been dismissed. The patent in question was considered essential to the 3G/UMTS wireless telecommunications standard and was used as a “method and system for generating a complex pseudonoise sequence for processing a code division multiple access [CDMA] signal.” Judge Andreas Voss claimed that Motorola failed to present conclusive evidence that Apple infringed upon its patent, however, according to FOSS Patents. Rather than demonstrating Apple’s infringement, Motorola argued that any implementation of 3G/UMTS must then inevitably infringe on the company’s invention. Last December, the manufacturer won an injunction against the Cupertino-based company to ban the sales of iPhones and iPads. The ruling was upheld earlier this month and Apple’s devices were temporarily pulled from shelves, before returning soon after.
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The Motorola DROID 4 is now available from Verizon Wireless for $199.99 on contract. The sleek QWERTY slider features a 4-inch qHD display, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 4G LTE connectivity, 1GB of RAM and an 8-megapixel rear camera, and it is being billed as the “thinnest and most powerful 4G QWERTY smartphone.” Thanks to upcoming network enhancements, the DROID 4 will also be able to roam overseas, making it Verizon’s first 4G LTE device with global roaming capabilities. The handset is also eligible for double data, offering subscribers 4GB of data each month for $30.

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Google hasn’t been known as a hardware vendor in the past. That may soon change thanks to the company’s pending acquisition of Motorola, and recent reports suggest Google is already working on a self-branded home entertainment system and HUD glasses. Through a recent FCC filing, it has now been discovered that Google is also planning a “next generation personal communication device.” Details surrounding the mystery device are few and far between, although the filing does confirm both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are on board. The company has requested to test 102 units near Google office locations throughout the United States. The Mountain View-based company is listed as the manufacturer of the devices and it is described as being “in the prototyping phase and will be modified prior to final compliance testing.”

[Via SlashGear]

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Google is developing a home-entertainment system to stream music wirelessly throughout a users’ houses, The Wall Street Journal reports. The device will be Google-branded, marking a first for the search giant which historically develops software it then licenses to outside vendors. The system will most likely be Android-powered and will allow users to download music and stream it to Google-made speakers or other Web-connected devices in a home or office. The system may also be able to stream other digital media beyond just music. Apple, one of Google’s main rivals, has long developed both the hardware and software for its products. With its pending acquisition of Motorola Mobility, Google is looking to make waves in the hardware sector as well, and this new home entertainment solution could be one of the first own-brand devices to launch following the approval of Google’s Motorola buy, which is expected to come next week. The Android-powered entertainment system will reportedly be available later this year.

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Google’s bid to acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion is set to gain regulatory approval as soon as next week, multiple reports claim. Google announced last summer that it intended to purchase the struggling smartphone and set-top box maker for $40 per share, and CEO Larry Page explained that Motorola’s patent portfolio was a key draw for the company. Google’s Android partners had fallen under attack from patent predators such as Apple and Microsoft, and the ability to spread Motorola’s patents around as needed could be the only way to save Android. As recent events in Germany have shown, Motorola’s patents could indeed be Android’s best bet. While some regulators apparently remain unconvinced that Google intends to license Motorola’s patents on fair terms, The Wall Street Journal reports that the deal is still on track to gain approval from the Justice Department as early as next week.

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Google has hired Apple’s former senior director of product integrity for a new secret project, according to a report from VentureBeat. The man in question is Simon Prakash, who worked at Apple for more than eight years. Prakash was responsible for the quality control at Apple, a company that has a long-standing reputation for quality. He will now reportedly be working in Google’s “X lab” on a secret project headed by Google co-founder Sergey Brin. It is speculated that the project could be hardware related, and it may tie in with the company’s pending acquisition of Motorola Mobility. Google and Apple are currently being investigated by the Department of Justice following accusations that the companies upheld an illegal “no poach” agreement along with Intel, Adobe, Intuit, Pixar and Lucasfilm.

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Sales of Apple’s iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G and iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G resumed on Friday after a permanent injunction had gone into effect early Friday morning. ”All iPad and iPhone models will be back on sale through Apple’s online store in Germany shortly” an Apple spokesperson told SlashGear in a statement. “Apple appealed this ruling because Motorola repeatedly refuses to license this patent to Apple on reasonable terms, despite having declared it an industry standard patent seven years ago.” Apple’s iOS devices with embedded 3G were deemed to being infringing on a Motorola patent this past December. A judge ordered an injunction at that time that went into effect on Friday, forcing Apple to remove the infringing devices from its German website. Motorola filed a separate complaint against Apple’s new iPhone 4S last month.

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Apple’s aggressive litigation strategy against Android vendors over the past year has seen precious little return considering the huge investment it reportedly requires, and on Friday things took another turn south for the Cupertino, California-based technology giant. A court in Germany has issued a permanent injunction against the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G and iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G, upholding a ruling issued in December. Online sales of the phones have been banned in the country, and Apple has removed the devices from its German website. All iPhone models and iPad 2 models are still available for sale at local retailers, FOSS Patents reports. The ban is the result of a patent complaint filed against Apple by Motorola Mobility in Germany, claiming Apple’s iOS devices with embedded 3G connectivity infringe a Motorola patent related to UMTS technology. Late last month, Motorola filed a new complaint in Germany targeting Apple’s latest smartphone, the iPhone 4S.

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Verizon Wireless and Motorola unveiled the DROID 4 at last month’s Consumer Electronics Show, but the handset never formally received a release date. A new rumor from Droid-Life points to a launch next week on February 9th, however. The newest DROID will reportedly launch at $199.99 with a new two-year agreement — a price that matches a recently leaked MAP list and what we were told by a Verizon representative. The smartphone features a 4-inch qHD display, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, an 8-megapixel camera, 4G LTE connectivity and a five-row QWERTY keyboard. Thanks to upcoming network enhancements, the DROID 4 will also be able to roam overseas, making it Verizon’s first 4G LTE device with global roaming capabilities.

UPDATE: According to leaked Verizon equipment guide obtained by Droid-Life, the device is now rumored to launch on February 10th. The date coincides with the release of Star Wars Episode One in 3D.

Read [February 9th] Read [February 10th]

ComScore released its most recent U.S. Mobile Subscriber Market Share report for the three-month period ending in December, 2011. The research firm found that Samsung remained the top mobile phone vendor in the fourth quarter with a 25.3% market share — the same share as it held in the third quarter. LG’s market share dropped 0.6 percentage points to a 20% share for second place followed by Motorola, which fell 0.5 percentage points to 13.3%. Apple had the fourth largest share with a 12.4% market share, up 2.2 percentage points, and RIM fell 0.4 points to a 6.7% share. Read on for more.

Android remains the most used smartphone operating system in the United States with a 47.3% share of the market, up 2.5 percentage points from the last report. Android is followed by iOS, which grew 2.2 points to a 29.6% share, BlackBerry OS, which fell 2.9 points to a 16% share, Microsoft’s mobile Windows platform (4.7%, down 0.9 percentage points) and Symbian (1.4%, down 0.4 percentage points). ComScore did not distinguish whether or not Microsoft’s share represented Windows Phone, Windows Mobile or both.

ComScore said that 97.9 million U.S. residents owned a smartphone during the three months ended December 2011, which represents 40% of all mobile subscribers. The firm also said 234 million Americans aged 13 and older own a mobile device. The company’s full press release follows below.

comScore Reports December 2011 U.S. Mobile Subscriber Market Share

Smartphone Penetration Climbs Over 40 Percent during December Holiday Shopping Season

RESTON, VA, February 2, 2012 – comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released data from the comScore MobiLens service, reporting key trends in the U.S. mobile phone industry during the three month average period ending December 2011. The study surveyed more than 30,000 U.S. mobile subscribers and found Samsung to be the top handset manufacturer overall with 25.3 percent market share. Google Android strengthened its lead in the smartphone market to reach 47.3 percent market share.

OEM Market Share

For the three-month average period ending in December, 234 million Americans age 13 and older used mobile devices. Device manufacturer Samsung ranked as the top OEM with 25.3 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers, followed by LG with 20 percent share and Motorola with 13.3 percent share. Apple continued to gain ground in the OEM market with 12.4 percent share of total mobile subscribers (up 2.2 percentage points), while RIM rounded out the top five with 6.7 percent share.

Top Mobile OEMs 3 Month Avg. Ending Dec. 2011 vs. 3 Month Avg. Ending Sep. 2011 Total U.S. Mobile Subscribers (Smartphone & Non-Smartphone) Ages 13+ Source: comScore MobiLens
	Share (%) of Mobile Subscribers
	Sep-11	Dec-11	Point Change
Total Mobile Subscribers	100.0%	100.0%	N/A
Samsung	25.3%	25.3%	0.0
LG	20.6%	20.0%	-0.6
Motorola	13.8%	13.3%	-0.5
Apple	10.2%	12.4%	2.2
RIM	7.1%	6.7%	-0.4

Smartphone Platform Market Share

97.9 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones during the three months ending in December, representing 40 percent of all mobile subscribers. Google Android ranked as the top smartphone platform with 47.3 percent market share, up 2.5 percentage points from September. Apple maintained its #2 position, growing 2.2 percentage points to 29.6 percent of the smartphone market. RIM ranked third with 16 percent share, followed by Microsoft (4.7 percent) and Symbian (1.4 percent).

Top Smartphone Platforms 3 Month Avg. Ending Dec. 2011 vs. 3 Month Avg. Ending Sep. 2011 Total U.S. Smartphone Subscribers Ages 13+ Source: comScore MobiLens
	Share (%) of Smartphone Subscribers
	Sep-11	Dec-11	Point Change
Total Smartphone Subscribers	100.0%	100.0%	N/A
Google	44.8%	47.3%	2.5
Apple	27.4%	29.6%	2.2
RIM	18.9%	16.0%	-2.9
Microsoft	5.6%	4.7%	-0.9
Symbian	1.8%	1.4%	-0.4

Mobile Content Usage

In December, 74.3 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers used text messaging on their mobile device, up 3.2 percentage points. Downloaded applications were used by 47.6 percent of subscribers (up 5.1 percentage points), while browsers were used by 47.5 percent (up 4.6 percentage points). Accessing of social networking sites or blogs increased 3.8 percentage points to 35.3 percent of mobile subscribers. Game-playing was done by 31.4 percent of the mobile audience (up 2.6 percentage points), while 23.8 percent listened to music on their phones (up 2.9 percentage points).

Mobile Content Usage 3 Month Avg. Ending Dec. 2011 vs. 3 Month Avg. Ending Sep. 2011 Total U.S. Mobile Subscribers (Smartphone & Non-Smartphone) Ages 13+ Source: comScore MobiLens
	Share (%) of Mobile Subscribers
	Sep-11	Dec-11	Point Change
Total Mobile Subscribers	100.0%	100.0%	N/A
Sent text message to another phone	71.1%	74.3%	3.2
Used downloaded apps	42.5%	47.6%	5.1
Used browser	42.9%	47.5%	4.6
Accessed social networking site or blog	31.5%	35.3%	3.8
Played Games	28.8%	31.4%	2.6
Listened to music on mobile phone	20.9%	23.8%	2.9

Nikesh Arora, Google’s SVP and Chief Business Officer, will run Motorola once the Google acquisition closes later this year, according to rumor published by Business Insider. Arora ran the company’s international business for Eric Schmidt, taking over the global business after the former CEO stepped down. Arora has reportedly been “agitating” for a CEO position and was included on a short list of candidates to head Yahoo. It is possible, however, that a promised CEO slot at Motorola could have prompted Arora to continue with Google. The rumor further notes that Dennis Woodside, Google’s current head of U.S. sales, will take over Arora’s current position.

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Motorola promised that a bootloader unlocking solution would be made available for its recent phones in late 2011 but as the year came to a close, the company’s self-imposed deadline came and went with no release. To make matters worse, the manufacturer launched the RAZR with an unlocked bootloader overseas while the American version was locked and encrypted. Motorola blamed Verizon, claiming the carrier requested the device be locked even though other companies were offering unlocking solutions. On Monday, Motorola announced the RAZR Developer Edition on the company’s community blog. The device is essentially the same as the current RAZR, but with one special feature: an unlockable bootloader. The European handset is priced at €499 and will be sold without a warranty, while a U.S. version will become available through MOTODEV “in the coming months.” Read on for the announcement.

New Motorola RAZR™ Developer Edition will feature unlocked bootloader in Europe

We have some news for the community of people interested in unlockable/relockable bootloaders. Today, we announced a step forward in Europe with the availability of an unlockable version of our most in-demand product: the Motorola RAZR™ Developer Edition. This solution allows us to continue meeting our carrier and regulatory obligations, but also meets the needs being expressed by our developer community.

In the coming months, we also plan to introduce an unlockable developer device in the United States through MOTODEV, Motorola’s global developer network. Stay tuned to Motorola’s Developer site for additional info.

EU-based consumers can pre-order the Motorola RAZR Developer Edition through the Motorola Shop. Post-purchase, the MOTODEV site will contain all support info for unlocking, relocking and locating build files, as well as access to additional developer resources. The Developer Edition will have all the same great features as the Motorola RAZR: an impossibly thin design, hyper-vibrant Super AMOLED Advanced display, KEVLAR(R) fiber and more.

Verizon released the DROID RAZR MAXX on Thursday for $299.99 with a new two-year agreement. The device features a massive 3,300 mAh battery and a slightly thicker frame than its predecessor, the DROID RAZR. Other than that, the handsets are identical. Droid-Life confirmed on Friday that both devices run the same exact software, in fact — the Android version on both devices features the same build number, same kernel and same baseband version. We have seen similar products in the past (DROID 2 and DROID R2D2), but they all carried slightly different software versions to accommodate various changes. With the DROID RAZR and DROID RAZR MAXX however, it looks like everything is interchangeable, so savvy users already have a wide range custom ROMs to choose from.

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Motorola Mobility on Thursday announced the company’s results for the fourth quarter last year. The vendor managed $3.4 billion in revenue but posted a net loss of $80 million, or $0.27 per share. Motorola posted a profit of $0.27 per share in the same quarter a year earlier. For the full year, the company’s revenue totaled $13.1 billion, up 14% compared to 2010, and it reported a net loss was $0.84 per share compared to a loss of $0.29 per share in 2010. Motorola shipped 10.5 million mobile devices in the fourth quarter, including 200,000 tablets, and full-year device shipments totaled 42.4 million units. Motorola Mobility’s full press release follows below.

Motorola Mobility Announces Fourth Quarter and Full-Year Financial Results

LIBERTYVILLE, Ill., Jan. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ –

Fourth Quarter Financial Highlights

• Net revenues of $3.4 billion
• Non-GAAP net earnings of $0.20 per share compared to net earnings of $0.37 per share in fourth quarter 2010; GAAP net loss of $0.27 per share compared to net earnings of$0.27 per share in fourth quarter 2010
• Mobile Devices net revenues of $2.5 billion, up 5 percent from fourth quarter 2010; Non-GAAP operating loss of $19 million; GAAP operating loss of $70 million
• Shipped 10.5 million mobile devices, including 5.3 million smartphones
• Home net revenues of $897 million, down 11 percent from fourth quarter 2010; Non-GAAP operating earnings of $84 million; GAAP operating earnings of $57 million

Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: MMI) today reported net revenues of $3.4 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011, comparable to the fourth quarter of 2010. The GAAP net loss in the fourth quarter of 2011 was $80 million, or $0.27 per share, compared to net earnings of $80 million, or $0.27 per share, in the fourth quarter of 2010. On a non-GAAP basis, net earnings in the fourth quarter 2011 were $61 million, or $0.20 per share, compared to net earnings of $108 million, or $0.37 per share, in the fourth quarter of 2010.

For the full year, 2011 net revenues were $13.1 billion, up 14 percent compared to 2010. For the full year, the GAAP net loss was $0.84 per share compared to a loss of $0.29 per share in 2010. On a non-GAAP basis, net earnings were $0.33 per share compared to a loss of $0.28 per share in 2010.

The Company generated positive operating cash flow of $225 million and $357 million in the fourth quarter and full year, respectively. Total cash at the end of the quarter was $3.6 billion and includes cash, cash equivalents, and cash deposits.

Details on non-GAAP adjustments and the use of non-GAAP measures are included later in this press release and in the financial tables.

“In the fourth quarter, we received very positive consumer response to Motorola RAZR, which combined an iconic brand with ultra-thin in an innovative smartphone.  Our Home business continues to be a leader in the industry’s transformation to all IP, with unique solutions that enable rich media experiences across any screen,” said Sanjay Jha, chairman and chief executive officer, Motorola Mobility. “We remain energized by the proposed merger with Google and continue to focus on creating innovative technologies.”

Operating Results

Mobile Devices net revenues in the fourth quarter, impacted by the increased competitive environment, were $2.5 billion, up 5 percent compared with the year-ago quarter. The GAAP operating loss was $70 million compared to operating earnings of $72 million in the year-ago quarter. The non-GAAP operating loss was $19 million compared to operating earnings of $56 million in the year-ago quarter. For the full year 2011, net revenues were $9.5 billion, an increase of 22 percent compared to 2010. The 2011 GAAP operating loss was$285 million compared to an operating loss of $76 million in 2010. The 2011 non-GAAP operating loss was $126 million compared to an operating loss of $198 million in 2010.

The Company shipped a total of 10.5 million and 42.4 million mobile devices in the fourth quarter and full year 2011, respectively. This included 5.3 million and 18.7 million smartphones and approximately 200 thousand and 1 million tablets in the fourth quarter and full year, respectively.

Mobile Devices highlights:

• Launched Motorola RAZR^™ extending the iconic RAZR brand around the world
• Announced DROID RAZR MAXX^™, featuring twice as much battery life as the leading competitor and measuring only 8.99 millimeters
• Unveiled the award-winning DROID 4 by Motorola, the thinnest and most powerful 4G LTE QWERTY smartphone featuring a five-row keyboard and edge-lit keys
• Introduced two new 4G LTE tablets, the DROID XYBOARD 10.1^™ and XYBOARD 8.2^™.
• Announced the “life proof” Motorola DEFY^™ MINI and slim MOTOLUXE^™, two new value priced additions to Motorola’s growing budget-friendly portfolio
• Shipped award-winning MOTOACTV^™, the world’s first combined GPS fitness tracker and MP3 player
• Launched two flagship devices in China – the TD-SCDMA Motorola MT917 and the Motorola XT928, a dual-core, dual-mode, dual-standby smartphone

Home segment net revenues in the fourth quarter were $897 million, down 11 percent compared with the year-ago quarter. GAAP operating earnings were $57 million, compared to$54 million in the year-ago quarter. Non-GAAP operating earnings were $84 million compared to $90 million in the year-ago quarter. Fourth quarter set-top shipments were down 3 percent compared to the year-ago quarter. For the full year 2011, net revenues were $3.5 billion, compared to $3.6 billion in 2010. GAAP operating earnings increased to $226 millionfrom $152 million in 2010. The 2011 non-GAAP operating earnings increased to $332 million from $272 million in 2010. Full year set-top shipments were up 6 percent compared to 2010.

Home highlights:

• Launched DreamGallery next-generation HTML-5 video navigation software in North America with Shaw Communications
• Expanded video leadership and paved the way for Canada’s move to all-MPEG-4 broadcast and On-Demand HD services with Eastlink
• Demonstrated market leadership with introduction of new carrier Ethernet product line for the deployment of cost-effective commercial services
• Introduced Motorola APEX3000, which delivers market-leading density to cost-effectively add greater demand for narrowcast services such as VOD and DVR
• Selected by Altibox AS in Norway to provide VAP 2400 HD wireless video bridge to enable multi-room TV services

Merger Update

As previously announced on August 15, 2011, Motorola Mobility and Google Inc. (“Google”) (NASDAQ: GOOG) entered into a definitive agreement for Google to acquire Motorola Mobility for $40.00 per share in cash, or a total of approximately $12.5 billion.  On November 17, 2011, Motorola Mobility stockholders voted overwhelmingly to approve the proposed merger with Google at the Company’s Special Meeting of Stockholders.  The Company continues to work closely with Google to complete the proposed acquisition of Motorola Mobility as expeditiously as possible.

The Company notes that the transaction remains subject to various closing conditions. Antitrust clearances, or waiting period expirations, are required by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), by the European Commission, and in Canada, China, Israel, Russia, Taiwan and Turkey. Requisite filings have been submitted to the appropriate regulatory body in each of these jurisdictions. Clearances have been received in Turkey and Russia. In Canada and the United States, the statutory waiting period for the transaction has expired although the parties have been informed that the reviewing agencies have not closed their respective investigations.  In December 2011, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce proceeded to phase two of its investigation.  In February, the European Commission is expected to announce whether it will close its investigation or proceed to a phase two investigation.

The Company currently expects the transaction to close in early 2012 once all conditions have been satisfied and reminds stockholders that it is possible that the failure to timely meet such conditions or other factors outside of the Company’s control could delay or prevent completion of the transaction altogether.

For more information on the proposed merger, please visit http://investors.motorola.com.

Conference Call and Webcast

In light of the pending acquisition of the Company by Google, the Company does not conduct a financial analyst conference call or webcast following the release of its earnings information nor provide financial guidance. To access the fourth quarter results and other financial information, please visit http://investors.motorola.com.

Consolidated GAAP Results

A comparison of results from operations is as follows:

	Fourth Quarter			Full Year
(In millions, except per share amounts)	2011	2010		2011	2010
Net revenues	$3,436	$3,425		$13,064	$11,460
Gross margin	854	915		3,317	2,965
Operating earnings (loss)	(78)	126		(142)	76
Earnings (loss) before income taxes	(78)	110		(148)	(4)
Net earnings (loss) attributable to Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc.	($80)	$80		($249)	($86)
Basic earnings (loss) per common share *	($0.27)	$0.27		($0.84)	($0.29)
Diluted loss per common share*	($0.27)	N/A		($0.84)	N/A
Weighted average common shares outstanding
Basic	300.2	294.3		297.1	294.3
Diluted	300.2	N/A		297.1	N/A

Non-GAAP Adjustments for fourth quarter and full year 2011 and 2010

	Fourth Quarter
Per Share Impact	2011	2010
GAAP Earnings (Loss) per Common Share *	($0.27)	$0.27
Merger-related costs**	0.22	——
Reorganization of business charges	0.09	0.06
Stock-based compensation expense	0.12	0.14
Intangible assets amortization expense	0.04	0.05
Joint venture wind-down costs	——	0.03
IP settlement	——	(0.19)
Total Non-GAAP Adjustments ***	0.47	0.10
Non-GAAP Earnings per Common Share *	$0.20	$0.37

	Full Year
Per Share Impact	2011	2010
GAAP Loss per Common Share *	($0.84)	($0.29)
Merger-related costs**	0.28	——
Reorganization of business charges	0.09	0.20
Stock-based compensation expense	0.52	0.55
Intangible assets amortization expense	0.20	0.19
Legal claim provision	0.07	——
Joint venture wind-down costs	——	0.03
Legal settlement	——	(0.77)
IP settlement	——	(0.19)
Total Non-GAAP Adjustments ***	1.16	0.01
Non-GAAP Earnings (Loss) per Common Share *	$0.33	($0.28)

Apple sold more iPads in the fourth calendar quarter than it has ever sold before in a single three-month period, but the 15.4 million tablets it managed to move weren’t enough to keep Google from gaining ground. Market research firm strategy analytics on Thursday released its tablet estimates for the three months ended December 2011, and Google’s Android partners seemingly managed to triple tablet shipments during the holiday quarter last year. Read on for more.

Strategy Analytics estimates that Apple’s 15.4 million iPads shipped was good enough to capture 57.6% of the tablet market in the fourth quarter last year. In the same quarter a year earlier, Apple shipped 7.3 million tablets and accounted for 68.2% of the global market.

Google’s Android partners combined to ship 10.5 million tablets in the December quarter, good for a 39.1% share of the market. Android vendors shipped just 3.1 million tablets in the fourth quarter of 2010, which accounted for 29% of the market.

“Global tablet shipments reached an all-time high of 26.8 million units in Q4 2011, surging 150 percent from 10.7 million in Q4 2010,” Strategy analytics analyst Peter King said in a statement. ”Demand for tablets among consumer, business and education users remains strong. Apple shipped a robust 15.4 million iPads worldwide and maintained its strong market leadership with 58 percent share during the fourth quarter of 2011. Apple shrugged off the much-hyped threat from entry-level Android models this quarter.”

Apple’s iPad business is still growing rapidly, and chief executive Tim Cook said on a recent earnings call that Amazon’s popular Kindle Fire tablet had no impact whatsoever on Apple tablet sales. It appears as though a broader media tablet market is finally beginning to form around what had essentially just been an iPad market until recently, however.

Strategy Analytics’s full press release follows below.

Strategy Analytics: Android Captures Record 39 Percent Share of Global Tablet Shipments in Q4 2011

Boston, MA – January 26, 2012 – According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global tablet shipments reached 27 million units in the fourth quarter of 2011. Android jumped to a record 39 percent global share, while Apple iOS maintained its strong leadership at 58 percent.

Peter King, Director at Strategy Analytics, said, “Global tablet shipments reached an all-time high of 26.8 million units in Q4 2011, surging 150 percent from 10.7 million in Q4 2010. Demand for tablets among consumer, business and education users remains strong. Apple shipped a robust 15.4 million iPads worldwide and maintained its strong market leadership with 58 percent share during the fourth quarter of 2011. Apple shrugged off the much-hyped threat from entry-level Android models this quarter.”

Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “Android captured a record 39 percent share of global tablet shipments in Q4 2011, rising from 29 percent a year earlier. Global Android tablet shipments tripled annually to 10.5 million units. Dozens of Android models distributed across multiple countries by numerous brands such as Amazon, Samsung, Asus and others have been driving volumes. Android is so far proving relatively popular with tablet manufacturers despite nagging concerns about fragmentation of Android’s operating system, user-interface and app store ecosystem.”

Other findings from the research include:

• Global tablet shipments hit 66.9 million units in full-year 2011, surging 260 percent from 18.6 million in full-year 2010. Consumers are increasingly buying tablets in preference to netbooks and even entry-level notebooks or desktops;
• Microsoft captured a niche 1 percent global tablet share in Q4 2011. The upcoming release of Windows 8 this year cannot come quickly enough for Microsoft, so its hardware partners can start competing more effectively in the tablet space.

Exhibit 1: Global Tablet Operating System Shipments and Market Share in Q4 2011

Global Tablet OS Shipments (Millions of Units)	Q4 ’10	Q4 ’11
Apple iOS	7.3	15.4
Android	3.1	10.5
Microsoft	0.0	0.4
Others	0.3	0.5
Total	10.7	26.8
Global Tablet OS Marketshare %	Q4 ’10	Q4 ’11
Apple iOS	68.2%	57.6%
Android	29.0%	39.1%
Microsoft	0.0%	1.5%
Others	2.8%	1.9%
Total	100.0%	100.0%
Growth Year-over-Year %	N / A	150%

The full report, Global Tablet OS Market Share: Q4 2011, is published by the Strategy Analytics Tablet & Touchscreen (TTS) service, details of which can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/78qpf5u.