iPhone aids Q2 smartphones

Some 32.2 million smartphones were sold worldwide in the second quarter of 2008, says the Gartner research group. While this was a 15.7 percent increase over the same quarter a year ago, the poor surrounding economy is said to be hurting the ability to buy such expensive products, whether new or as a replacement. The market was in fact buoyed substantially by the release of Apple's iPhone 3G, along with a slate of other touchscreen devices, all of which should help restore normal growth in Q3. Smartphones continue to account for about 11 percent of total phone sales.

Nokia remains on top of the smartphone market, having sold 15.3 million units, despite admitting that Apple has been cutting into its sales. BlackBerry maker Research in Motion ranks second with 5.6 million phones, while Touch Diamond creator HTC is a distant third at 1.3 million. Apple does not technically occupy its own listing at present, and has instead been lumped in with "others," accounting for 7.6 million of Q2's shipments. The two other companies with separate listings are Sharp and Fujitsu, which sold 1.3 and 1.1 million, respectively.

By Electronista Staff