Apple, Android Control Smartphone Market

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iphone_v_android

Another analyst is reporting Android sales are on fire. Shipments of Android phones will grow by 561 percent in 2010 and take nearly 25 percent of the smartphone market. Additionally, Apple iPhone shipments will overtake RIM smartphones later this year, according to Digitimes Research.

In the second-half of 2010, Apple will have 15.6 percent of the smartphone market, passing RIM’s 15 percent. For the full year, however, the BlackBerry-maker will lead the Cupertino, Calif. company 16.4 percent to 15.2 percent, according to the research firm.


Smartphones are 20 percent of the overall mobile phone market. Smartphone shipments will exceed 280 million handsets this year, a 57 percent increase over last year’s 178 million.

Nokia, although it will remain the leading mobile phone manufacturer, will see its share of the smartphone market continue to shrink. The Finnish company will control 32.6 percent of the market in the second half of 2010, or 35 percent for the entire year, according to the research.

Today’s number reflect a growing trend for Android reported earlier this week. According to Gartner, sales of Android-based phones rose 50 percent in the second-quarter, putting the Google OS ahead of Apple’s IOS-based units, such as the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Although Apple’s percentage rose, it was by a smaller amount – 1.2 percent.

“Apple’s sales would have been higher if it had not had to face tight inventory management in preparation for the arrival of the iPhone 4 at the end of the second quarter of 2010,” analyst Carolina Milanesi said. A wider global rollout of the iPhone 4 should keep Apple’s sales juggernaut going throughout the second half of this year, according to the analyst.

[Barron’s, Digitimes Research]

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