The worldwide smartphone market has witnessed a tremendous increase in sales, with vendors shipping record volumes of units. Data available from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker showed that vendors shipped a total of 302.6 million smartphones worldwide during the year 2010. Compared to 173.5 million smartphones shipped in 2009, the worldwide smartphone industry had gained a remarkable increase of 74.4 percent.
The need for component suppliers has scaled new heights with more and more mobile phone users turning in their older models for newer versions with dual-core processors and near-field communication chips. Here is a list of the top five smartphone vendors who will be able to sustain the immense need existing in the smartphone market.
Nokia
Five million of Nokia’s new Symbian^3 units were shipped worldwide by the end of the last quarter, including units from the N8, C7, and C601 series. This strong showing, given their recent introduction to the market, proved to be a good sign for Nokia. At present Nokia’s main challenges include the recent cancellation of the X7 smartphone at AT&T and the new MeeGo-powered devices which are yet to arrive in the market.
Apple
Apple’s iPhone did comparatively well in the worldwide smartphone market, with added volume growth coming from the Asia Pacific region and more companies adding Apple to their approved smartphone list. Furthermore rumors of an iPhone 5 with a new design and a mobile wallet have helped Apple make further inroads into the enterprise market.
Research In Motion
BlackBerry Torch and the BlackBerry Curve 3G turned out to be the most popular devices for the last quarter. RIM’s strong market leadership in North America helped it achieve nearly identical year-over-year growth during the year 2010. Nevertheless, RIM faces increasing challenges from the competition.
Samsung
Samsung’s popular Galaxy S series helped it make tremendous inroads into the smartphone market. In addition to this, Samsung’s bada-branded smartphones, as well as its emerging Windows Phone smartphones, have helped it increase its stake in the enterprise market. Samsung foresees an increase of at least 40% in 2011, with its new Galaxy devices including the Galaxy Fit, Ace, and Mini.
HTC
HTC’s triple growth last year, next only to Samsung, were caused due to its increased brand awareness, market positioning, and a series of devices that have resonated well with users and carriers alike. The company known for being ‘quietly brilliant’ aims to target emerging markets in the Asia Pacific region during 2011.
All these and many other mobile devices are also great for the huge number of mobile phone applications that are growing everyday. Mobile applications for business and entertainment and social media are experiencing a growth spurt that will be sustained for many years to come.
Looking to develop mobile phone application for these smartphones or other devices? The mobile application development team at Flatworld Solutions can give you creative solutions for all your business and entertainment requirements.
