IDC: Samsung, Apple almost half of smartphone sales
updated 04:05 pm EDT, Fri July 27, 2012
ZTE climbs into fifth place as sector growth slows
The International Data Corporation released its Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker report yesterday, revealing that Samsung and Apple have more than doubled their collective market share in the smartphone sector and now account for nearly half of worldwide smartphone sales. The figures demonstrate the efficacy of the two companies' divergent approaches to the smartphone sector. The report showed that other manufacturers have a long way to catch the two leaders in the sector, but some relative newcomers appear to be making headway in the low-end market.
Samsung and Apple accounted for 50.2 million and 26 million respective units shipped in the second quarter of this year, or 32.6 and 16.9 percent market share, respectively. Both companies' market share and shipment numbers are more than twice those of any other competitors, and their combined 49.5 percent market share is nearly as much as the rest of the smartphone sector put together.
Apple's iPhone offerings have proven perennial favorites among consumers, and its strategy of one release per year has earned the company the number two spot overall among smartphone manufacturers, but the number one spot for most popular smartphone.
Samsung, on the other hand, has achieved considerable profits by releasing a range of handsets that feature different sizes and features. The company's Galaxy S III flagship model has gone on to strong sales, and Samsung expects that its model will continue to yield profitability and market share for the foreseeable future.
Other manufacturers aren't faring quite as well. Nokia is betting heavily on its Windows Phone 8 lineup returning the company to a semblance of its former prominence. While Nokia's market share dropped 38.9 percent from 2011 to 2012, the announcement that current Lumia owners wouldn't be receiving an upgrade to Windows Phone 8 does not seem to have negatively affected sales of that line.
HTC holds on to the fourth spot due to a strong performance in the Asia/Pacific region. The company's One line of products will have a big impact on its fortunes going forward, as HTC has been streamlining the number of devices it offers.
Chinese handset maker ZTE jumped into the top five manufacturers for the first time. This is due largely to ZTE's shipments of low-cost smartphones throughout China and other countries. IDC notes that ZTE will need to improve its brand image if it wants to grow market share. That task will be harder going forward, though, as it was revealed earlier this year that ZTE's Score and other models had a massive security hole.
