Apple has overtaken Blackberry maker RIM as the number
twosmartphone provider, says analyst
Canalys.
The introduction of the iPhone 3G in July and Apple's expansion
into many more countries helped propel the supplier to second place
globally, said the analyst.
"It was expected that Apple would figure among the smart phone
leaders this quarter, with that huge initial new product shipment,
it was just a question of how high up it would be - and this is
impressive," said Pete Cunningham, a Canalys analyst.
"Despite RIM being nudged into third place, its growth of over
80% should not be overlooked either," he said. "This is a
tremendous performance, especially considering the delays it
experienced in rolling out the Blackberry Bold,"
Cunningham added, "Some customers will also have been waiting
for the Blackberry Storm to arrive. With these new products and the
clamshell Pearl 8220 available in Q4, it is quite feasible that RIM
will return to the number two position."
Canalys said
smartphone shipments rose 28% in the third quarter and that
Nokia retained its lead in the market.
Shipments hit 39.9 million in the quarter with EMEA growth at
21%, helped by a 43% rise in Central and Eastern Europe.
Although Nokia retained its market lead, its share was reduced
as a result of Apple's and RIM's large overall gains.
Microsoft's share of the smartphone market also increased
despite being overtaken by Apple.