It was inevitable that Nokia would be ousted by another OEM sooner than later and according to IDC, the Finnish company has now been toppled over with Samsung being declared as the top mobile phone vendor. If that wasn’t enough, the South Korean manufacturer has also beaten Apple to the throne when it comes to smartphone shipments in Q1 2012.
The numbers are quite significant considering that it’s the first time Nokia has taken anything less than the first place in IDC’s Mobile Phone Tracker since 2004. It certainly looks like the quick rise in smartphone demand has been doing Samsung a lot of good too. The folks over at IDC opine that part of the company’s success can be traced to it forming relationships with network operators in a blend of economically diverse markets.
“The race between Apple and Samsung remained tight during the quarter, even as both companies posted growth in key areas,” explained Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst with IDC’s Mobile Phone Technology and Trends program. “Apple launched its popular iPhone 4S in additional key markets, most notably in China, and Samsung experienced continued success from its Galaxy Note smartphone/tablet and other Galaxy smartphones. With other companies in the midst of major strategic transitions, the contest between Apple and Samsung will bear close observation as hotly-anticipated new models are launched.”
The smartphone vendor highlights list out RIM and then HTC in terms of the positions they grab in the smartphone market after Samsung, Apple and Nokia. The last three manufacturers are calculated to have claimed 42.2 million, 35.1 million and 11.9 million unit shipments in the first quarter of this year, respectively. As worldwide mobile phone sellers, Apple, Nokia and Samsung boasted of 35.1 million, 82.7 million and 93.8 million in unit sales, correspondingly, during the last quarter.
The figures proving that Samsung, Apple and Nokia are among the top three smartphone vendors have been presented courtesy of the IDC Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker, May 1, 2012.