Android phone shipments increase by 886%

Shipments of Android handsets have increased by 886% over the past year, according to research firm Canalys.

Over the same period, Apple shipments grew by 61%, Symbian grew 41.5% and RIM grew by 41%. Microsoft by contrast saw shipments drop by 10.2%.

But shipment increases are only one metric. In terms of percentage shipment share, here’s how things stand:

* Symbian: 43.5% (down from 50.3%)
* RIM: 18.0% (down from 20.9%)
* Android: 17.1% (up from 2.8%)
* Apple: 13.5% (down from 13.7%)
* Microsoft: 4.9% (down from 9.0%)
* Other: 3.0% (down from 3.3%)

While Apple hitting the headlines, Android is where the biggest interest seems to be. Maybe the iPhone is already yesterday’s technology?