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katherinecat
Nice article. I had a Nokia Smartphone. But, if i have more money, i'm buy an ...
eveperro
Oh, forgot to mention that I had a Samsung smartphone and now I have an iPhone, ...
Apple snatches Smartphone lead from Samsung in Q4
Sylvie Barak
1/27/2012 3:46 PM EST
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics continued their game of tag at the top of the smartphone shipment table, with Apple taking back the top spot for smartphone shipments in the fourth quarter, while Samsung became the world’s largest smartphone brand for the year of 2011.
According to IHS iSuppli, Apple shipped 37 million smartphones worldwide in Q4, up 117 percent from 17 million in the second quarter, the strongest sequential quarterly growth among the Top 5 smartphone brands.
Samsung managed to ship 36 million smartphones in the last quarter, but sold 95 million smartphones in the full year, just ahead of Apple’s 93 million units. In 2010, Apple sold 47 million iPhones, while Samsung sold just 25 million, meaning the Korean giant’s sales were up an astounding 278 percent in 2011.
Both Apple and Samsung leapfrogged Nokia, which had previously held the number one spot.
“Apple’s introduction of the 4S in the fourth quarter unleashed tremendous pent-up demand for the iPhone as consumers awaited the arrival of the latest model,” said Wayne Lam, senior analyst, wireless communications at HIS, explaining Apple’s quarterly surge. Releasing the new model just in time for the holiday season also helped push Apple past its rival.
Meanwhile, Samsung continues to thrive due to its broad line of smartphone products at varying price points.
Competing Android licensees like Sony Ericsson and Motorola did not do nearly as well.
“The relatively small growth of Sony Ericsson and Motorola may indicate that the Android smartphone market is becoming too crowded as the various licensees compete for limited consumer mindshare and shelf space,” Lam said.
Whether Apple will be able to keep hold of its spot at the top of the table, however, remains to be seen, with some analysts believing the coming quarters won’t look quite as strong for the company, especially now that the initial iPhone 4S surge is over.
According to IHS iSuppli, Apple shipped 37 million smartphones worldwide in Q4, up 117 percent from 17 million in the second quarter, the strongest sequential quarterly growth among the Top 5 smartphone brands.
Samsung managed to ship 36 million smartphones in the last quarter, but sold 95 million smartphones in the full year, just ahead of Apple’s 93 million units. In 2010, Apple sold 47 million iPhones, while Samsung sold just 25 million, meaning the Korean giant’s sales were up an astounding 278 percent in 2011.
Both Apple and Samsung leapfrogged Nokia, which had previously held the number one spot.
“Apple’s introduction of the 4S in the fourth quarter unleashed tremendous pent-up demand for the iPhone as consumers awaited the arrival of the latest model,” said Wayne Lam, senior analyst, wireless communications at HIS, explaining Apple’s quarterly surge. Releasing the new model just in time for the holiday season also helped push Apple past its rival.
Meanwhile, Samsung continues to thrive due to its broad line of smartphone products at varying price points.
Competing Android licensees like Sony Ericsson and Motorola did not do nearly as well.
“The relatively small growth of Sony Ericsson and Motorola may indicate that the Android smartphone market is becoming too crowded as the various licensees compete for limited consumer mindshare and shelf space,” Lam said.
Whether Apple will be able to keep hold of its spot at the top of the table, however, remains to be seen, with some analysts believing the coming quarters won’t look quite as strong for the company, especially now that the initial iPhone 4S surge is over.
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pixies
1/27/2012 3:59 PM EST
iPhone also has a much higher margin than Samsung's phones on average.
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t.alex
1/27/2012 7:20 PM EST
I think next quarter might be different. The latest model of Samsung phones are almost as good.
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prabhakar_deosthali
1/28/2012 12:16 AM EST
Looks like Samsung has surpassed Nokia and RIM in the smart phone race and is now catching up with Apple. On the price front Samsung's price is much more affordable compared to Apple's
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yusufjamal
1/28/2012 1:57 AM EST
In high end smartphone Apple has always been topping the chart...more because of great quality of product and "Steve Jobs" effect. Samsung version for high end smartphone is new, to name Galaxy S2 & Galaxy Note". But in near future, Samsung could be tough competitor in high end segment, especially in emerging markets.
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Sanjib.Acharya
1/28/2012 9:07 AM EST
I think Samsung and Apple are going to eat more and more market share from Nokia, if Nokia doesn't do something fascinating faster.
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goafrit
1/28/2012 12:47 PM EST
the question is without iPhone and iPad, where will Apple be in 8 years.
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Helicopter
1/29/2012 9:19 PM EST
The next big thing that we don't know yet....
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kinnar
1/28/2012 1:06 PM EST
Benefit of Android should be taken only by Samsung, other companies will also be getting much share from the smartphone market. Apple price is comparatively higher than the android phones this is the reason why android will be ruling in the developing countries. Who it is very strange that why Nokia is focusing on Android!!!
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GREAT-Terry
1/29/2012 11:10 PM EST
Having said Samsung will dominate Android smartphone market. Will the future be a war between Samsung+Android and Apple (iOS is already part of Apple phone)? The original goal of Andriod was to open up the opportunities for different phone makers with its open-source OS so as to achieve a more competitive price point. With one brand eventually taking the lead, finally how open the Andriod can be and how much benefit consumers can get?
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chanj
1/31/2012 6:48 PM EST
I wonder why HTC is off the chart since I have seen a very high quality HTC smartphone.
With the latest Lumia 710, Lumia 800, and the coming of Lumia 900, Nokia may gain some market shares. Who knows! The question is how Nokia differentiate itself from the rest of the Windows Mobile phone vendor?
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eveperro
11/5/2012 3:16 AM EST
Samsung smartphones are indeed good phones, but I think that Apple smartphones are always one step ahead. It's just my opinion.
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eveperro
11/5/2012 3:17 AM EST
Oh, forgot to mention that I had a Samsung smartphone and now I have an iPhone, so I do know what I'm talking about :)
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katherinecat
11/15/2012 5:59 AM EST
Nice article. I had a Nokia Smartphone. But, if i have more money, i'm buy an iPhone. My best friend told me that she will buy me an iPhone for my birthday :D http://cameracupisici.blogspot.ro/
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