New stats released today by IDC show shipments of Windows Phone reaching 8.7 million units in the second quarter — still a distant third behind Android (187.4 million) and iPhone (31.2 million), but coming in ahead of BlackBerry (6.8 million) to cement Microsoft’s position as the world’s third-largest smartphone operating system.
Microsoft’s number represented a 77% gain over Windows Phone shipments in the same quarter last year.
One risk for Microsoft is its disproportionate reliance on Nokia, which was responsible for more than 80% of Windows Phone shipments in the quarter, according to the IDC numbers. Samsung, the dominant Android vendor, is the No. 2 Windows Phone maker with 1 million units shipped during the quarter, representing 11.5% of the Windows Phone market.
In the U.S., Microsoft still has some work to do to claim the undisputed No. 3 spot. A separate report from comScore Networks today showed Microsoft still in fourth place in U.S. smartphone market based on number of subscribers in the country.
Here’s the IDC chart showing global smartphone shipments by operating system.
