Apple joins top-five handset vendors; in at number 4

(From GSMA)
Apple has become a top-five global handset vendor off the back of its iPhone sales, as rivals LG Electronics and Nokia underperformed, according to analyst firm Strategy Analytics. Meanwhile year-on-year market growth of 13 percent in the third quarter of 2010 was below the 16 percent recorded in the first half of 2010, as component shortages and economic volatility “slightly” constrained volumes. Total unit shipments were 327 million. While Nokia remained in top place, Strategy Analytics noted that this was the ninth consecutive quarter in which it reported below-average growth, at just 2 percent annually, as a result of pressures on its mass-market 2G handset shipments due to component shortages. Samsung’s growth was above average, at 19 percent, taking it the closest to Nokia it has ever been – at 22 percent and 34 percent market share, respectively. Samsung also increased the gap on third-placed LG, which saw a decline in shipments as a result of missing out on growth in the smartphone market – an issue which is also impacting its profitability.