iPhone's remarkable fourth-
quarter surge -- 37 million units
-- lifted the handset ahead of the
two previous smartphone
leaders, according to Canalys. For
full year 2011, Apple shipped
93.1 million smartphones,
compared to Samsung's 91.9
million and Nokia's 77.3 million.
Nokia, the company that invented
the smartphone, has bled share
since iPhone launched nearly 5
years ago, but artery versus vein
since announcing the switch to
Windows Phone from Symbian in
February 2011.
Apple's climb to the top followed
October's iPhone 4S launch and
availability of older 3GS and 4
models for free and $99 ,
respectively. Samsung shipped
35.3 million smartphones in Q4,
behind Apple, while Nokia
shipped 19.6 million -- a
stunning 31 percent decline. By
comparison, iPhone shipments
surged 128.1 percent for the
quarter and 96 percent for the
year.
However, Android shipments
outpaced iPhone/iOS by
considerable degrees, up 148.7
percent for the quarter and
244.1 percent for the year. Nearly
82 million Androids shipped
during fourth quarter and 237.8
million for the year. Android
captured 51.6 percent global
smartphone share for the
quarter and 48.8 percent for all
2011.
The quarter's biggest loser -- and
big isn't, well, big enough -- was
Windows Phone. Despite
shipment of the first Nokia
Windows Phones and release of
v7.5 during the quarter, market
share plunged a stunning 43.3
percent. Windows Phone ended
the quarter with a puny 1.4
percent share. For perspective,
that's below Samsung's Bada,
which launched in mid 2010.
Bada shipments grew 183.1
percent year over year, granted
from a small base, to 2.7 percent
share.
More broadly, 158.5 million
smartphones shipped in Q4, up
57 percent year over year. For all
2011: 487.7 million, up 63
percent.
"Smartphones have grown from
being a niche product segment
at the high-end of the mobile
phone market to becoming a
truly mass-market proposition",
Chris Jones, Canalys principal
analyst, says. "The greater
availability of smartphones at
lower price points has helped
tremendously, but there has
been a driving trend of
increasing consumer appetite for
Internet browsing, content
consumption and engaging with
apps and services on mobile
devices".http://ksp2347.blogspot.com
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