Smartphone Platform Market Heating Up, Android Takes 2nd Place
Google’s Android operating system overtook Apple’s iPhone and RIM’s BlackBerry in the third quarter to become the No.2 smartphone platform behind Nokia’s Symbian, according to research firm Gartner Wednesday.
Gartner said Nokia held a 36.6 percent share of the global market, falling from 44.6 percent just a year ago. Sales of Android-powered mobile phones grew to 20.5 million units, giving the platform a 25.5 percent market share, a huge increase from 3.5 percent one year ago.
Apple’s iPhone had sales of 13.5 million units for a 16.7 percent market share, down from 17.1 percent a year ago. Research In Motion (RIM) was fourth after dropping from 20.7 percent market share last year to 14.8 percent this year.
Microsoft’s Windows Mobile holds at fifth place with a 2.8 percent market share, down from 7.9 percent a year ago, Gartner said.
Gartner said worldwide mobile phone sales totaled 417 million units in the third quarter, up 35 percent from a year ago. Smartphone sales grew 96 percent and accounted for 19.3 percent of overall mobile phone sales in the quarter.
Nokia remained the Number 1 handset maker with sales of 117.5 million units in the third quarter, although it saw worldwide market share slip to 28.2 percent from 36.7 percent a year ago.
Samsung was next in line with 71.7 million units sold but its market share also fell to 17.2 percent. LG sold 27.5 million handsets, Apple sold 13.5 million units and RIM sold 11.9 million units.
Gartner said Samsung was the top Android seller in the quarter with sales of 6.6 million Android phones.
The research firm said it expects mobile devices sales to grow 30 percent year-on-year in 2010 and for sales of tablet computers to reach 54.8 million units in 2011.
Last week, research firm IDC reported that the smart phone market grew 90 percent in the third quarter. It, too, reported that Nokia lost market share since this time last year, even though it sold more phones.
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