IDC: Apple iPhone was No. 3 smartphone in 2009 with 14.4% of market
Apple's smartphone market share increased by more than 5 percent in 2009 as total iPhone shipments surged by a massive 81.9 percent over 2008, a study released Thursday shows.
IDC's survey of the "Worldwide Converged Mobile Device Market" found that Apple shipped an estimated 25.1 million iPhones in all of 2009, well up from the 13.8 million shipped in 2008. In the fourth calendar quarter of 2009 alone, Apple shipped a record 8.7 million iPhones.
The study also shows Apple narrowing the gap with the No. 2 smartphone maker, Research in Motion. In all of 2009, RIM had 19.8 percent of the smartphone market, compared to Apple's 14.4 percent. But in the fourth quarter, RIM had 19.6 percent of the market while Apple represented 16 percent of shipments.
"Apple's iconic iPhone added another chapter to its short history by nearly doubling its shipments from the same quarter a year ago," the report said. "Demand for the Apple iPhone continued unabated during the holiday quarter, and agreements with multiple carriers within the same market enabled further distribution. The fourth quarter also saw the launch of the iPhone at one of the world's largest carriers: China Unicom."
Nokia remains the dominant market leader, though its presence continues to shrink. While the handset maker represented 40 percent of shipments in 2008, it took 38.9 percent in 2009, from a massive 67.7 million total handsets.
Nokia and Apple currently have a number of lawsuits directed at each other, making accusations of patent violations on both parties' behalves. As the iPhone has grown in popularity, Nokia has retained its status as the market leader, but has suffered significant losses at the hands of competitors.
The rivalry between Nokia and Apple even extends beyond the courtroom, with Steve Jobs last week declaring his company the largest mobile device maker by revenue in the world. Nokia later disputed that claim.
In fourth place for the year, the IDC survey found, was HTC, which shipped 8.1 million phones in the 12-month span, good for 4.6 percent of the market. Samsung took fifth place, with 3.3 percent and 5.7 million shipments. All other smartphone maekers accounted for 19 percent of the market, or 33.1 million total phones.
Motorola came on strong, though, in the fourth quarter, bursting into the top five at fourth place, with 2.5 million handsets shipped during the holiday season. Riding on the strength of its Motorola Droid, the company took 4.6 percent of the market in the three-month frame.
In all, 174.2 million smartphones were shipped in 2009, up 15.1 percent from the 151.4 million that shipped in 2008. The fourth quarter alone represented 54.5 million of 2009's total shipments.
"Four of the top five vendors established new shipment records for a single quarter, indicating strong demand in the market," said Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst with IDC's Mobile Devices Technology and Trends team. "Increasingly, mobile phone users are seeking greater utility from their devices beyond telephony and messaging, and converged mobile devices fulfill that need.
"To help address demand, carriers took advantage of lower prices on many older devices, ordering additional units and, in turn, offering reduced prices to end users. It was the perfect set of conditions to push shipments to a record level."
IDC's survey of the "Worldwide Converged Mobile Device Market" found that Apple shipped an estimated 25.1 million iPhones in all of 2009, well up from the 13.8 million shipped in 2008. In the fourth calendar quarter of 2009 alone, Apple shipped a record 8.7 million iPhones.
The study also shows Apple narrowing the gap with the No. 2 smartphone maker, Research in Motion. In all of 2009, RIM had 19.8 percent of the smartphone market, compared to Apple's 14.4 percent. But in the fourth quarter, RIM had 19.6 percent of the market while Apple represented 16 percent of shipments.
"Apple's iconic iPhone added another chapter to its short history by nearly doubling its shipments from the same quarter a year ago," the report said. "Demand for the Apple iPhone continued unabated during the holiday quarter, and agreements with multiple carriers within the same market enabled further distribution. The fourth quarter also saw the launch of the iPhone at one of the world's largest carriers: China Unicom."
Nokia remains the dominant market leader, though its presence continues to shrink. While the handset maker represented 40 percent of shipments in 2008, it took 38.9 percent in 2009, from a massive 67.7 million total handsets.
Nokia and Apple currently have a number of lawsuits directed at each other, making accusations of patent violations on both parties' behalves. As the iPhone has grown in popularity, Nokia has retained its status as the market leader, but has suffered significant losses at the hands of competitors.
The rivalry between Nokia and Apple even extends beyond the courtroom, with Steve Jobs last week declaring his company the largest mobile device maker by revenue in the world. Nokia later disputed that claim.
In fourth place for the year, the IDC survey found, was HTC, which shipped 8.1 million phones in the 12-month span, good for 4.6 percent of the market. Samsung took fifth place, with 3.3 percent and 5.7 million shipments. All other smartphone maekers accounted for 19 percent of the market, or 33.1 million total phones.
Motorola came on strong, though, in the fourth quarter, bursting into the top five at fourth place, with 2.5 million handsets shipped during the holiday season. Riding on the strength of its Motorola Droid, the company took 4.6 percent of the market in the three-month frame.
In all, 174.2 million smartphones were shipped in 2009, up 15.1 percent from the 151.4 million that shipped in 2008. The fourth quarter alone represented 54.5 million of 2009's total shipments.
"Four of the top five vendors established new shipment records for a single quarter, indicating strong demand in the market," said Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst with IDC's Mobile Devices Technology and Trends team. "Increasingly, mobile phone users are seeking greater utility from their devices beyond telephony and messaging, and converged mobile devices fulfill that need.
"To help address demand, carriers took advantage of lower prices on many older devices, ordering additional units and, in turn, offering reduced prices to end users. It was the perfect set of conditions to push shipments to a record level."
Comments
14% down, only 86% left to go!
Apple's smartphone market share increased by more than 5 percent ...
Since we are treated to these articles about the smartphone market on a fairly regular basis, it would really help if you guys would define in the scope of the article what a "smartphone" actually is and the metrics being used by those doing the counting. It seems like the definition IDC uses might not be one that most actual smartphone users agree with.
I find it very, very, hard to believe that something like three times the amount of people using iPhones would opt for an N95 instead (or something similar), and to me, that category of devices is almost the only ones that are fair to compare with the iPhone.
It's a well-konw fact that Nokia floods the world with handsets and dominates the third world in particular with cheap flip phones. It's not surprising that Nokia would ship many times more handsets than any other company, but I personally doubt that many of these are "smartphones" and I suspect that Nokia's "smartphone" numbers are rather inflated as a result.
I don't think I'm alone in this suspicion.
I wish they'd show who are the companies under: "others"
All smartphone vendors - the top 5 vendors = others
I would be surprised if Nokia aren't massaging their smartphone figures a little.
Since we are treated to these articles about the smartphone market on a fairly regular basis, it would really help if you guys would define in the scope of the article what a "smartphone" actually is and the metrics being used by those doing the counting. It seems like the definition IDC uses might not be one that most actual smartphone users agree with.
I find it very, very, hard to believe that something like three times the amount of people using iPhones would opt for an N95 instead (or something similar), and to me, that category of devices is almost the only ones that are fair to compare with the iPhone.
It's a well-konw fact that Nokia floods the world with handsets and dominates the third world in particular with cheap flip phones. It's not surprising that Nokia would ship many times more handsets than any other company, but I personally doubt that many of these are "smartphones" and I suspect that Nokia's "smartphone" numbers are rather inflated as a result.
I don't think I'm alone in this suspicion.
I don't think a lot of people care about the definitional hair-splitting that seems to so worry you.
Regardless of what you think it should be called, a lot of people are interested in knowing how Apple, RIM, and Nokia (and now, Motorola, and possibly Google) are doing with their non-dumb handsets.
I personally doubt that many of these are "smartphones" and I suspect that Nokia's "smartphone" numbers are rather inflated as a result.
I don't think I'm alone in this suspicion.
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I agree.
David Pogue New York Times says there should be a new definition, maybe "app phones" for phones of iPhone level.
David Pogue: ""Smartphone" is too limited. A smartphone is a cellphone with e-mail - an old BlackBerry, a Blackjack, maybe a Treo. This new category - somewhere between cellphones and laptops, or even beyond them - deserves a name of its own."
Mossberg is of the same opinion. He calls them "super smart phones"
Both say there are only a handful of phones of this level.
Nokia later disputed that claim.
Dispute this Nokia! \\./
We're Number Three! We're Number Three! We're Number Three!
14% down, only 86% left to go!
I'd bet that the iPhone is #1 when these numbers are broken down into individual model sales though.. Nokia and Rim have many different types of smartphones. Apple only has the iPhone.
(Yes i know CDMA is basically US only, but it is still a big market)
A Nokia growth from 60.5 in 2008 to 67.7 in 2009 is NOT 37.7%, it's 11.9%. I have to question the veracity of that whole table.
These numbers kinda blow a hole in the whole "Flash is dead 'cause it's not in the iPhone" argument. Within the year, the mobile-optimized flash player 10.1 will be on 66% of the smartphones (not including the "other" category, as those are unknown).
... and let the mindless, uninformed flash-bashing begin... the zealots are too predictable.
Acknowledgments upfront... I haven't touched a PC in 20 years, having exclusively been a mac user the entire time (and an iPhone user for 2). That said, I love the little insular world that mac zealots live in... "What? These numbers can't be right? Everyone I know uses a iPhone?"
These numbers kinda blow a hole in the whole "Flash is dead 'cause it's not in the iPhone" argument. Within the year, the mobile-optimized flash player 10.1 will be on 66% of the smartphones (not including the "other" category, as those are unknown).
... and let the mindless, uninformed flash-bashing begin... the zealots are too predictable.
Like I just said above.. How many models of smartphones does Nokia have?? 10? 20? How bout RIM?? 5? 6?
Apple has 1..
So yes, the iPhone is most likely the best selling smartphone in the world. However, Apple is not the biggest smartphone manufacturer in the world because they only sell one phone..
i think Apple would be number 1, not?
I thought so too based on the reporting and cheerleading I've heard all year here. Or at least number 2?? Oh well....
Like I just said above.. How many models of smartphones does Nokia have?? 10? 20? How bout RIM?? 5? 6?
Apple has 1..
So yes, the iPhone is most likely the best selling smartphone in the world. However, Apple is not the biggest smartphone manufacturer in the world because they only sell one phone..
Doesn't matter - 'cause that's Apple's choice.
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I agree.
David Pogue New York Times says there should be a new definition, maybe "app phones" for phones of iPhone level.
David Pogue: ""Smartphone" is too limited. A smartphone is a cellphone with e-mail - an old BlackBerry, a Blackjack, maybe a Treo. This new category - somewhere between cellphones and laptops, or even beyond them - deserves a name of its own."
Mossberg is of the same opinion. He calls them "super smart phones"
Both say there are only a handful of phones of this level.
But most of the Apps aren't made my Apple anyway so then you would need to give credit where actual credit is due i.e, which App sells the most.
RIM has been building Blackberries for a little over 10 years.
Windows Mobile ( lumping all the Windows portable/handheld Os stuff (WinCE/AutoPC/Pocket PC 2000-2002, Windows Mobile 2003, Mobile 5.0, Mobile 6, Smartphone 2002-2003, Portable Media Center) into one bucket which had it's first release back in '96, or 14 years ago.
Apple - A little over 2.5 years. Let's be frank. It can't just be the marketing - otherwise you would see a massive exodus from iPhone ownership once something similarly cool (like Droid or Nexus) comes along. But the market doesn't show that to be the case. Perhaps. Just perhaps. Apple has delivered the kind of mobile technology people actually enjoy using.
Doesn't matter - 'cause that's Apple's choice.
Understood and I never said otherwise..
My point is that when broken down by individual phone models, the iPhone is (very likely) the best selling smartphone in the world..
But most of the Apps aren't made my Apple anyway so then you would need to give credit where actual credit is due i.e, which App sells the most.
Ummm. OK. Are you out in left field playing soccer today studly? What the heck are you talking about here? Without the platform, the SDK and the infrastructure, who the *herk* would even be making apps - except for the few that create the jailbroken ones. Try again. Focus on clarity.