Poll: Do you think we need a third smartphone platform?

In fact, Android and iOS are the only two major smartphone platforms on the market today, accounting for 99.4% of the global market according to StatCounter.

However, does the world need a third smartphone platform? That’s the subject of our featured poll today, so take your pick below and leave a comment if you’d like to learn more.

We can understand why you think two major platforms are enough. Android and iOS represent different approaches to the smartphone operating system, leaving users with two stark choices to suit their needs and wants. You could also argue that dead/abandoned platforms like BlackBerry 10 and Windows Phone serve as proof that we don’t need a third platform. Moreover, today we still have extremely niche alternative platforms like Sailfish, Ubuntu Touch, and PureOS.

On the other hand, we can see why you might want a third major smartphone platform. The current landscape is basically a duopoly for both consumers and app developers right now, so some real competition from a big company could therefore be a good thing. You could also argue that the industry experienced spikes in innovation when BlackBerry 10, WebOS, and Windows Phone were around at different times. Features like gesture navigation, map-based multitasking, desktop modes, and wireless charging debuted first on these platforms.