Apple's narrow lead over Samsung as the world's top smartphone vendor has been lost to the Korean company whose smartphone sales were up by more than 40 percent over the previous quarter.
According to Strategy Analytics, Samsung shipped 27.8 million smartphones in the last quarter as compared to Apple's 17.1 million sold.
An important thing to note here is that Strategy Analytics has estimated shipment numbers and not actual sales. Apple on the other hand clearly mentions how many units it sold over the last quarter. To make matters worse, Samsung itself doesn't disclose the number of smartphone units it shipped or sold citing confidentiality.
Samsung, however, did disclose the growth of 40 percent it witnessed over the last quarter which is no doubt impressive.
Apple's slump in number of handsets sold can be easily attributed to the anticipation preceding the launch of the iPhone 4S and consumers deferring their decision to buy an iPhone 4 until a new iPhone launches.
It would be interesting to look at these numbers for upcoming quarters. Reasons being:
- Apple's iPhone 4S has seen excellent initial sales, with great reception from consumers and reviewers alike.
- The iPhone lineup now has costs spread over a large spectrum. Free, $99, $199, $299, $399.
- The extended device lineup would enable Apple to better compete with Samsung's wide array of smartphones.
- The iPhone 4S in now available on three carriers in the U.S.
- Apple plans to make the iPhone 4S available in more than 70 countries by the end of this year. It went on sale in 22 new countries earlier today.
- Nokia's Windows Phone 7 handsets would be available in the market two weeks from now.
- Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich devices would go on sale in the coming months.
- The Samsung-Apple legal battle all over the world can culminate into Samsung smartphone bans in a number of countries.
During the "Let's Talk iPhone" event, Tim Cook chose to express iPhone sales as a fraction of the worldwide handset sales and not smartphone sales. At the time of the event, less than a month ago, the iPhone accounted for 5 percent of the total handset sales. According to Strategy Analytics' latest numbers Apple lost half a percentage point, and made up for 4.4 percent of the total handset sales.
These are interesting times in the smartphone world.
[via Reuters]
i think this is a good thing, samsung should do well, it will make apple try harder, which should in turn give us better products.
Apple will only gives you guys a better product if others come up with better technology so that they can steal it from them.
Don’t forget after they steal it… they will try and patent or sue the competitors also.
Oh sooooo true…. So tell me where did apple steal the original idea for the iPod from or the iPhone for that matter??? If it wasnt for the innovation of apple in giving the people what they deserve is terms of a item with actual functionality we would all still be towing the line of the major phone companies, clapping our hands with joy when they slowly hand out to us one new feature with each new version of their phone, apple tipped the whole game over when they entered the phone market and now the rest of em are trying to find a place at the table again
fanboy -> boohoohoohhooo, mommy someone is bashing on my fav apple toy! booohhoohooo
This brings back the whole “shipped” vs “sold” argument. If samsung really wants to shine, they should publish their units sold, not units sitting on store shelves. Apple on the other hand, is selling iphones as fast as they can manufacture them. There’s a huge difference. Apple couldn’t ship more even if they wanted to, due to manufacturing limitations. So in that department, samsung definitely wins.
I still believe Samsung could have sold more smartphones than Apple. First, they have so many smartphones (Android, WP7, Bada). Second, some of their smartphones like the Galaxy Ace are really cheap, which naturally helps in increasing sales.
This is why the free 3GS is crucial for Apple to increase their sales.
Let’s see what happens in the next quarter. The battle would be more even then.
” Apple couldn’t ship more even if they wanted to” you mean they couldn’t make another factory and hire more workers? I could care less, I always get a kick out of people supporting their favorite manufactures its so funny. I like healthy competition, it keeps things somewhat balanced. I own an iphone and I’m a happy customer, but until they start offering more competitive priced products, I’m all for the other guy, be it Samsung, Motorola or whoever.
it s a lie !!!!! numbers are fake!!!!
shame on you Samsung!!!
Hahahahahahaha!!!
That’s only because the iphone 4s came out in the 4th Q and people where waiting for the new phone to come out or we wouldn’t be haveing this conversation ….. But I bet the 4th Q will be different out come ….
this article has no point , why say the surpass apple if those numbers are just ship units not actual sales…kind dumb
128 phones vs 3 phones, go figure.
All of one company’s phones vs All of another [one] company’s phones, go figure.
Both company’s stats are shipped smart phones. Apple Fanboys give it up… Apple cannot make their own smartphones, Apple depends on Samsung, LG and other semi-conductor suppliers to make the parts. Taking companies to court when they are supplying you parts for your iPhones and iPad is just suicide.
not really, it’s still business.. I bet Samsung enjoys Apple’s business.. it shows in their products where they blatantly ripped off Apple’s products in every way, to form factor, even to packaging.
the fact that samsung is not selling Apple AMOLED higher density iPhone screens says alot.
Not really, Apple reports sold and not shipped numbers. Check it out for yourself in the press release. http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2011/10/18Apple-Reports-Fourth-Quarter-Results.html
make sure to do some research before posting nonsense because shipped=sale to retailers.This is how a sale is measured.Stop crying
Amazing How Apple Were The Top With A Range Of 3 Phones Compared To The Hundreds Samsung Has, Nice Read =)