Apple iOS declined during the second quarter of 2013 (2Q13) according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.

As much as it increases the number of its market shipments, Apple's share in the worldwide smartphone operating system market, to the advantage of both Android and Windows Phone.

"The iOS decline in the second quarter aligns with the cyclicality of iPhone. Without a new product launch since the debut of the iPhone 5 nearly a year ago, Apple's market share was vulnerable to product launches from the competition. But with a new iPhone and revamped iOS coming out later this year, Apple is well-positioned to re-capture market share," Ramon Llamas, Research Manager with IDC's Mobile Phone team said.

During the same period, it was Android and Windows Phone which surpassed Apple iOS. Vendors for both shipped a total of 236.4 million smartphones in 2013, up to 51.3 per cent from the 156.2 million units shipped in 2Q12. For the second quarter volume of shipments grew at 9.3 per cent side by side the 216.3 million units shipped during the first quarter of 2013.

"Last quarter we witnessed Windows Phone shipments surpassing BlackBerry and the trend has continued into the second quarter. Nokia has clearly been driving force behind the Windows Phone platform and we expect that to continue. However, as more and more vendors enter the smartphone market using the Android platform, we expect Windows Phone to become a more attractive differentiator in this very competitive market segment," said Ryan Reith, program Manager with IDC's Mobility Tracker programs.

According to IDC, Windows Phone aced the year-over-year augment among the top smartphone platforms. As a result, it went higher in the ladder scale landing at number 3 as smartphone operating system. Nokia had contributed to this gain as the company launched two new smartphones, making Windows Phone popular among mobile operators. Nokia was responsible for 81.6 per cent of all Windows Phone smartphones shipments during 2Q13.

Windows Phone now holds the bar for being the second best choice for vendors.

However, even with its downslide in market share, and even without new product launches, there still is a remarkable demand for iOS devices especially with release of iOS 7 to the market this 2013.