Apple's iOS Continues to Impact the Smartphone Industry Despite Heavy Competition

Apple's iOS operating system has pioneered both the smartphone and tablet markets thanks to its easy-to-use interface and loads of attractive features that include a bevy of applications designed for entertainment, games, education, music and much more. With the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) trend becoming the norm throughout many businesses today, some firms are looking for ways to create their own mobile apps. Utilizing iOS controls makes it possible for companies to produce highly functional and visual apps that support both the iPhone and iPad.

A report by IDC said that both Android and iOS are dominating the global smartphone industry. Overall, vendors shipped more than 216 million smartphones during the first quarter of 2013, with Android and iOS devices accounting for 92.3 percent.

Although the market share of iOS dropped from 23 percent in the first quarter of 2012 to 17.3 percent this year, shipments of the platform increased from 35.1 million to 37.4 million, IDC said. Android accounted for 75 percent of the market during the first quarter of 2013, increasing its share from 59.1 percent.

"Underpinning the worldwide smartphone market is the constantly shifting operating system landscape," said Ramon Llamas, research manager with at IDC's Mobile Phone team. "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."

With Apple prepping its latest version of iOS and developing new iPhones and iPads, the company will likely continue to generate buzz throughout the smartphone and tablet markets. These devices are becoming mainstays for both consumers and companies on a global scale, taking away some of the luster reserved mostly for PCs.