Apple may not be the world’s largest computer maker, but a growing number of reports put the Cupertino, Calif. iPhone company as the largest global smartphone manufacturer, topping beleaguered cell phone giant Nokia.
The pronouncement from Strategy Analytics means Apple is now tops in smartphones shipped during the second quarter, as well as revenue in the first quarter. The company grew 141.8 percent compared to 2010, far outstripping the world growth rate of 11.3 percent, IDC announced earlier.
Apple’s smartphone marketshare stands at 18.5 percent of global shipments, up from 13.5 percent during the same period in 2010. Last week, Apple reported selling a stunning 20.34 million iPhones during the previous quarter.
Android-maker Samsung ranks No. 2 in global smartphone shipments with 17.5 percent of the world market. This despite a 520 percent annual increase in shipments, according to Strategy Analytics.
Nokia continues its free fall in the smartphone sector. After becoming the first smartphone maker to ship 100 million units in a single year, the Finnish cell phone giant’s global smartphone marketshare was cut by more than half. Nokia lands in third place with 15.2 percent of the global market, down from 38.1 percent of smartphone shipments during the same period in 2010.
