IDC: iPhone No. 3 Smartphone with 14.4 Percent of Market

Apple’s iPhone nearly doubled its shipments in the fourth quarter, earning it 3rd place among smartphone makers. The handset had 14.4 percent of the market, making further inroads on No. 2 Research in Motion, according to researchers at IDC.

The new data show Apple had a nearly 82 percent year-over-year growth rate, jumping to 14.4 percent of the smartphone market in 2009, up from 9.1 percent in 2008.

“Apple’s iconic iPhone added another chapter to its short history by nearly doubling its shipments from the same quarter a year ago,” according to the report entitled “Worldwide Converged Mobile Device Market.”

RIM, maker of the BlackBerry, held on to its No. 2 spot with 19.8 percent of the 2009 market, compared to 15.6 percent in 2008. However, the iPhone’s meteoric rise cut into that lead.

Nokia, although still the market leader with 38.9 percent in 2009, slipped from its 40 percent market share in 2008, according to IDC.

Motorola’s Droid, sold by Verizon, seems to have helped the trouble company. The Schaumberg, Il. firm has 4.6 percent of the smartphone market, up from 4.1 percent in 2008. Shipments also increased to 2.5 million, up from 1.6 in the fourth quarter of 2008.

DON'T MISS
Analyst: Android Propels 87 Percent Jump in Smartphones in Fourth Quarter

[Via AppleInsider]

4 comments »