Microsoft shipped 7m of its Windows Phone in Q1 – that’s 3.2 per cent of the 216.2m shipments – making it the third most popular OS for the first time, according to IDC’s quarterly smarphone tracker.

Despite new releases and optimism from its CEO in the face of adversity, BlackBerry sales declined by 35 per cent from Q1 2012 to 2013.  The company shipped 6.3m handsets during the three months at the start of this year, compared to 9.7m a year earlier, which means it drops into fourth place.

Android has had some fluctuations in its top spot during the year but rounds it off with 75 per cent market share, up 79.5 per cent from Q1 2012. In Q1 2012, 90.3m Android devices were shifted, which increased to 162.1 in Q1 2013.

iOS shipments grew just 6.6 per cent during the same period – but Apple’s market share is smaller than it was a year ago. In Q1 2012, the company shipped 35.1m devices and had a share of 23 per cent. In Q1 2013, Apple shipped 37.4m devices  but only had a market share of 17.3 per cent.

The total number of smartphones shipped increased by 41.6 per cent during the year – growing from 152.7 to 216.2m.