Chicago (IL) – Apple’s products and competitive approach may be polarizing, but you can’t doubt the effectiveness of new products such as the iPhone. Apple is now estimated to be the world’s second largest smartphone manufacturing, holding an impressive 17.3% market share in the segment.

Canalys now ranks Apple as the world’s second largest smartphone manufacture, behind Nokia and ahead of Research in Motion (RIM). Nokia still dominates the segment with 38.9% market share, which means that the company sold about 15.5 million units of the $39.9 million unit market in Q3 of this year. Apple is estimated at sales of 6.9 million units and a 17.3% share, followed by RIM with 6.1 million units and 15.2% share.

Nokia seems to be increasingly under pressure as it was the only top 5 manufacturer who saw its unit shipments decline (-3.8%) during the period, while Apple increased its shipments more than six-fold and RIM saw an 80% increase in unit sales.

The list is rounded out by Motorola with shipments of 2.3 million (+12.4%) and HTC with only 5000 units less (2.3 million, +171.4%), Canalys said.

“It was expected that Apple would figure among the smart phone leaders this quarter, with that huge initial new product shipment, it was just a question of how high up it would be - and this is impressive,” commented Pete Cunningham, Canalys senior analyst.

Referring to RIM, the analyst said that RIM also saw “a tremendous performance, especially considering the delays it experienced in rolling out the Blackberry Bold. “Some customers will also have been waiting for the Storm to arrive. With these new products and the clamshell Pearl 8220 available in Q4, it is quite feasible that RIM will return to the number two position.”

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Nov 06, 2008 21:19     

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name report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Re: title

Nov 07, 2008 07:46     

@name: You're so right! I can't understand how I didn't know that, before. That said, #2? Huh. Yeah, I don't see companies paying for iPhones like they would other phones. The iPhone has been marketed far too much as "fun".
Steve report abuse vote down vote up Votes: -1

Awesome!

Nov 07, 2008 08:41     

For a company that has "no experience" on phones, Just one year and half in the market, only one model (well, two, edge and 3g), no "plastic keyboard" (that was Steve's Ballmer comment when iphone was announced).. Fun or not, you have to accept the fact that those results are incredible.
Rob report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +1

Nothing wrong with fun.

Nov 07, 2008 09:59     

If your job is not fun, find something else. I don't think you can be the best of the best if you are not having fun. Fun is the difference between brilliance and doing just enough.
Ralf The Dog report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +4

RE: Nothing wrong with fun

Nov 07, 2008 17:39     

agree 100%
Luis report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Bandwagon Effect

Nov 09, 2008 14:44     

No offence to Apple people but the only reason the iPhone is number 2 is because it was one of the most awaited phones in history. Just like the iPod's shitty player status doesn't undermine it's style the iPhone just incorporates a constantly crashing Safari browser. RIM has a better business model with their Blackberry which is so far the most secure device for email/connectivity. I own an iPhone so I'm not a Blackberry fan.

webterractive report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0