Apple is top smartphone vendor in 2Q211, says IDC

By eGovInnovation Editors | Aug 7, 2011

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The worldwide mobile phone market grew 65.4 percent year over year in the second quarter of 2011 (2Q11), with Apple making it to the top for the first time.

"The smartphone market crowned a new leader in 2Q11, and its name is Apple," said Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst with IDC's Mobile Phone Technology and Trends team. "Ever since the first iPhone launched in 2007, Apple has made market-setting strides in hardware, software, and channel development to grab mindshare and market share. Demand has been so strong that even models that have been out for one or two years are still being sought out. With an expected refresh later this year, volumes are set to reach higher levels."

Apple shipped 20.3 million units in the second quarter for a 19.1 percent share of the market. This is a 141.7 percent growth over its first quarter figures of 8.4 million units shipped for a market share of 13 percent.

Apple edged out long-time market leader Nokia, which slid to 3rd place, having shipped only 16.7 million units for the quarter to clinch a 15.7 percent market share. Nokia's shipment volume was down 30.4 percent from second quarter figures.

Samsung in second place has also overtaken the former market leader with 17.3 million units sold during the quarter, gaining 16.2 percent of the market. This was up 380.6 percent from the last quarter.

IDC said Apple's success can be directly attributed to its distribution (more than 200 carriers in more than 200 countries), increased manufacturing capacity, and solid demand within emerging and developed markets from both consumers and business users. On the other hand, key to Samsung's continued success was the global popularity of its flagship Galaxy S smartphones, which originally began as a series of high-end smartphones that has proliferated well into the mass-market, according to IDC.

The two other phone manufacturers in the top 5 vendors for the quarter were Research In Motion, which shipped 12.4 million units for an 11.6 percent share of the market, and HTC, which shipped 11.7 million units for a market share of 11 percent.