Gartner has released new figures for worldwide phone sales for the third quarter in 2010. There were 417 million units sold in the third quarter of 2010, a 35 percent increase from the third quarter of 2009.
Gartner reported that smartphone sales grew 96 percent from the third quarter
last year, and smartphones accounted for 19.3 percent of overall mobile
phone sales in the third quarter of 2010. Apple overtook BlackBerry.
The third quarter of 2010 produced record sales of more than 81
million communication devices based on open operating systems
(smartphones). Android accounted for 25.5 percent of worldwide
smartphone sales, making it the No. 2 operating system (OS). It was
particularly dominant in North America.
The cell phone makers, in order of units sold, are Nokia, Samsung, LG, Apple, RIM, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, HTC, ZTE and Huawei.
Although the top three worldwide mobile device manufacturers Nokia,
Samsung and LG remained the same - albeit with reduced market share -
the third quarter saw Apple rise into the top five manufacturers,
surpassing RIM for fourth place.
Gartner estimates that Android phones accounted for 75 to 80 percent
of Verizon Wireless' smartphone trade in the third quarter of 2010.
Manufacturers, such as Samsung, continued to launch high-end devices like
the Galaxy S. But manufacturers also launched Android devices at lower
prices to target different consumer segments. For its
part, Google is maintaining a fast pace of OS updates. Each version
brings new features and polish to Android, and the level of innovation
is a major differentiator.
Table 1
Worldwide Smartphone Sales to End Users by Operating System in 3Q10 (Thousands of Units)
|
Company |
3Q10 Units |
3Q10 Market Share (%) |
3Q09 Units |
3Q09 Market Share (%) |
|
Symbian |
29,480.1 |
36.6 |
18,314.8 |
44.6 |
|
Android |
20,500.0 |
25.5 |
1,424.5 |
3.5 |
|
iOS |
13,484.4 |
16.7 |
7,040.4 |
17.1 |
|
Research In Motion |
11,908.3 |
14.8 |
8,522.7 |
20.7 |
|
Microsoft Windows Mobile |
2,247.9 |
2.8 |
3,259.9 |
7.9 |
|
Linux |
1,697.1 |
2.1 |
1,918.5 |
4.7 |
|
Other OS |
1,214.8 |
1.5 |
612.5 |
1.5 |
|
Total |
80,532.6 |
100.0 |
41,093.3 |
100.0 |
Source: Gartner (November 2010)
Apple performed extremely well thanks to the iPhone 4.
Relationships with multiple CSPs gave Apple wider channel reach
internationally, and the strong ecosystem around iTunes and the App
Store continued to help Apple dominate. Apple's share of the smartphone
market surpassed RIM in North America to put it second behind Android.
In Western Europe, iPhone sales doubled year-on-year, making Apple the
third-largest vendor behind Nokia and Samsung in the overall devices
market.
"Smartphone OS providers have entered a period of
accelerated platform evolution, stimulated by more regular product
releases, new platform entrants and new device types," said Roberta
Cozza, principal research analyst at Gartner. "Any platform that fails
to innovate quickly--either through a vibrant multi-player ecosystem or
clear vision of a single controlling entity--will lose developers,
manufacturers, potential partners and ultimately users."