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Apple is now among the top five worldwide vendors of all cell phones -- not just smart phones -- vaulting to fourth place in the third quarter this year, when the iPhone 4 went on sale, according to new reports from two research firms.
"Apple was the star performer, as it jumped into the top-five rankings for the first time," said Neil Mawston, Strategy Analytics' director, global wireless practice.
Research firm IDC, in its third-quarter "Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker" report said that "the growing popularity of converged mobile devices, or smart phones, with consumers and businesspersons is evidenced by the appearance of a second smart phone-only vendor in the top 5 ranking ... joining Research In Motion (RIM) as one of the world's largest mobile phone suppliers."
Apple "leapt ahead of several vendors in 3Q10 including RIM, which it surpassed by 1.7 million units, and Sony Ericsson by 3.7 million units," IDC said.
"The company's record shipment performance can be attributed to the introduction of the iPhone 4 in 17 new countries last quarter. The record performance came despite 'Antennagate,' the name used to describe the controversy around alleged iPhone reception problems, in July."
On IDC's top five list of cell phone vendors worldwide:
1. Nokia - The phone giant retains its top spot, but third-quarter shipments increased only by 1.8 percent over the third quarter in 2009.
2. Samsung - Up 18.6 percent over a year ago, "pushing through the 70 million unit mark for the first time in the company's history." In addition to a standard phone business, Samsung has been making smart phones that use the Android operating system and now Windows Phone 7, both challenging the iPhone.
3. LG Electronics - While it's third, the company actually shipped 10.1 percent fewer phones in the third quarter of this year than last. "LG has yet to make a significant impact in the smart phone category, unlike its competitors," IDC said.
4. Apple - The company shipped 14.1 million phones in the third quarter of the year, a 90.5 percent increase over last year's third quarter.
5. Research In Motion - RIM "posted a record number of unit shipments" -- 12.4 million phones -- in the third quarter. "The BlackBerry maker continues to grow in Latin America, for example, due to the success of the Curve 8520 entry-level model, which has helped drive growth in most emerging markets. The vendor's results were also boosted by the introduction of the higher-cost Torch in the United States, a key market due to the size and intensity of competition."
Sony Ericsson, which shipped 10.4 million units in the third quarter, "fell off the top-five list for the first time" since IDC's Tracker was started in 2004.
Strategy Analytics list confirmed the same rankings. Apple's growth "continues to come from expanding its retail presence across dozens of countries and operators worldwide," said the firm. And that growth is expected to continue.
"A next major wave of expansion is likely to come from a CDMA version of the iPhone at Verizon Wireless in the U.S., a move that could put considerable competitive pressure on Samsung, LG and Motorola in the first half of 2011."
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