IDC's latest Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker shows that although Nokia still rules the smartphone market, second place Apple is getting closer and closer in order to challenge the first place position Nokia has secured.For the first quarter of 2011, iPhone maker Apple shipped 18.7 million smartphones, up from just 8.7 million a year ago, helping it capture a record number of shipments for a single quarter. The shipments were boosted by the amazing, triple digit sellings in China as well as in the U.S. thanks to the Verizon iPhone. Continuing its expansion, Apple also picked up South Korean Telecom and Saudi Telecom as two more iPhone carriers across the globe.
However it was Nokia who let the mobile phone market with shipments of 24.2 million smartphones, up from 21.5 million a year ago. Despite the increased sellings, Nokia’s market percentage has decreased from 38.8 in 2010’s first quarter to 24.3.
Demand for Nokia's Symbian phones remained robust in its core markets of Europe and Asia/Pacific. But even as more Symbian devices are set to hit the market, including Nokia's E6 and X7 IDC believes the company may further lose market share as it transitions from Symbian to Microsoft Windows Phone.
Android device makers Samsung and HTC rounded out the top five list of global smartphone vendors as both companies experienced dramatic growth in both shipments and market share.
Samsung has strong demands for the Galaxy S, with the Galaxy Ace and Galaxy Mini not far behind. Although the Android phones were on top of the list, their Windows Phone and Bada Wave experienced promising growth.
HTC captured a record number of shipments for the quarter, aided by several new devices that were able to tap into 4G across different carriers, including the Inspire 4G and the Thunderbolt.
"Conditions in the smartphone market are creating a perfect storm for sustained smartphone growth," IDC senior research analyst Ramon Llamas said in a statement. "First, vendors are increasingly emphasizing smartphones as the key to their own growth. Second, selection has proliferated from mostly high-end devices to include more mid-range and entry-level offerings. Third, pricing has become increasingly competitive, with even high-end devices available at low price points."
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