IDC Q3 2009 phone share results live

Apple gained market share in the summer but slipped in the face of tougher competition, according to new IDC data. The iPhone's share of smartphones grew from 16.6 percent to 17.1 percent during the quarter but was overtaken by Research in Motion's record BlackBerry sales, which pushed it above Apple from 14.6 percent to 19 percent. The reversal is credited to the BlackBerry's wider distribution and the launch of a pair of key phones, the Tour and the Curve 8520.

Apple didn't have as wide a distribution, owing partly to the staggered rollout of the iPhone 3GS during the period, and didn't have any footprint in key countries until the fall. It only just released the iPhone in China at the end of October.

Nokia and HTC also made surprise but slight gains to reach 37.9 percent and 5.6 percent respectively. Samsung is the only major brand to have lost share and dropped to 3.5 percent. The Nokia and HTC gains are attributed to the popularity of individual devices like the N97 and Magic (myTouch 3G).

The most significant losses were for other, smaller smartphone manufacturers, most of whom use Windows Mobile. HTC is the world's largest Windows Mobile manufacturer but has made a heavy investment into Android devices.

Overall, the market showed a surprise 4.2 percent boost overall, to 43.3 million units, and suggests that the world economic slump has had little effect on smartphones versus the wider cellphone market.

By Electronista Staff

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iPhone, industry, htc, Nokia, Windows Mobile, Android, BlackBerry, Samsung, Research in Motion, mobile phones, Apple