Apple's iPhone Continues to Outpace Smartphone Industry Growth

[MacRumors]

Research firm IDC today issued a report highlighting fourth quarter and full year worldwide sales numbers of "converged mobile devices", more commonly known as smartphones, revealing continuing outstanding growth for Apple's iPhone above the overall industry already-healthy growth rate.

According to the data, Apple's shipments for the fourth quarter of 2009 were up 97.7% year-over-year, in line with results reported by Apple in its most recent earnings release and well ahead of the smartphone industry's 39% growth overall. The 8.7 million iPhones shipped during the quarter placed Apple solidly in third place with 16.0% market share behind Research in Motion and Nokia, both of which saw growth in line with the overall industry's growth rate.

Worldwide Smartphone Shipments in 4Q09 in Millions of Units (Source: IDC)
For all of 2009, Apple similarly held down the third position behind Research in Motion and Nokia, shipping 25.1 million iPhones for an increase of 81.9% over 2008 and enough to hold 14.4% of the worldwide market for year, up from 9.1% in 2008. Overall, the market grew by only 15% year-over-year, with only Research in Motion (46.2% growth) joining Apple in outperforming the industry.

Worldwide Smartphone Shipments in 2009 in Millions of Units (Source: IDC)
Earlier this week, data from ABI research revealed that Apple's share of the worldwide smartphone market had slipped slightly between the third and fourth quarters of 2009 has Apple was unable to keep pace with overall industry growth rates. The report apparently failed, however, to address the typically stronger seasonal effect seen in Apple's sales numbers compared to other manufacturers that release multiple new handsets throughout the year.

Article Link: Apple's iPhone Continues to Outpace Smartphone Industry Growth

 

[theheadguy]

This is no longer surprising...

The other phone manufacturers have nothing to be proud about. Apple has produced a cellular phone incapable of something as simple as playing music and typing a note at the same time, and it's still taking the industry by storm? Pathetic.

...lack of multitasking on an iPhone...

Sorry -- the example was off as I dumped the 3G iPhone after it couldn't keep a voice or data connection going for more than a few minutes; although it made a great iPod. Kallisti pointed out one if its shortfalls better.

I think he's talking about running a third party app, like pandora, in the backround and writing a note. However, he doesn't know that the ipod can play whilst you're doing whatever else you want.

You were right about the first part.

 

[kallisti]

This is no longer surprising...

The other phone manufacturers have nothing to be proud about. Apple has produced a cellular phone incapable of something as simple as playing music and typing a note at the same time, and it's stilltaking the industry by storm? Pathetic.

What are you talking about? It is possible to listen to music and type a note at the same time on an iPhone. If you want to whine about the overhyped (from my perspective) lack of multitasking on an iPhone, then at least provide an example that is actually valid.

 

[TheBonk]

This is no longer surprising...

The other phone manufacturers have nothing to be proud about. Apple has produced a cellular phone incapable of something as simple as playing music and typing a note at the same time, and it's stilltaking the industry by storm? Pathetic.

It can do that actually...

EDIT: Beat me to it, kallisti.

 

[dwd3885]

The iPhone is the phone everybody should get unless you find yourself wanting to do something on it that the iPhone CANNOT do. THEN you go look for a different phone like the Nexus One.

 

[miknos]

Scary how Apple grows.

 

[Gen]

What are you talking about? It is possible to listen to music and type a note at the same time on an iPhone. If you want to whine about the overhyped (from my perspective) lack of multitasking on an iPhone, then at least provide an example that is actually valid.

I think he's talking about running a third party app, like pandora, in the backround and writing a note.
However, he doesn't know that the ipod can play whilst you're doing whatever else you want.

 

[Carniphage]

I looked at Nokias 20.8M smartphone number.

This corresponds to
4.6 million Nseries
6.1 million Eseries
10.1 million "numbered Nokia Symbian devices"

C.

 

[Speedy2]

I looked at Nokias 20.8M smartphone number.

This corresponds to
4.6 million Nseries
6.1 million Eseries
10.1 million "numbered Nokia Symbian devices"

C.

I wish they'd only count smart phones in these statistics and not that dumb, unusable Nokia Symbian crap, that just happens to be equal to Nokia's high end phone offering and is therefold sold as bog standard phones for phony phoning only. Seriously, no one uses these "other features" on these devices. A nowadays mundane task like surfing the web on an N7x? Good joke!

 

[hugodrax]

Funny how the Ultrageeks harp on Multitasking but so much good that is doing for the other vendors, especially when a non multitasking iPhone is growing in marketshare rapidly.

Keep it Simple stupid is the rule, no one wants to have 30 apps windowed in a small screen.

 

[Stella]

I wish they'd only count smart phones in these statistics and not that dumb, unusable Nokia Symbian crap, that just happens to be equal to Nokia's high end phone offering and is therefold sold as bog standard phones for phony phoning only. Seriously, no one uses these "other features" on these devices. A nowadays mundane task like surfing the web on an N7x? Good joke!

Nokia E-Series and N-Series are ALL smartphones.

The question: is Symbian good or bad - well, then up to each individual, not a blanket sweeping statement.

You reference N7x. Do you know how old those range of phones are? I don't think they are even sold anymore!

Funny how the Ultrageeks harp on Multitasking but so much good that is doing for the other vendors, especially when a non multitasking iPhone is growing in marketshare rapidly.

Keep it Simple stupid is the rule, no one wants to have 30 apps windowed in a small screen.

Not all applications are necessarily windowed applications. For example,I have several 3rd party background apps running that are daemon type apps.

 

[ShiftyPig]

Good news for Apple - more market share than Mac tbf and in only 3.5 years.

Perhaps the FB's who think Nokia is Apple's bitch will take note of the top of that chart.

 

[yyy]

I think it's time for Apple to release a "lite" version of the iPhone. They are probably on their way to take over the "heavy" phone users market but there are still some "lite" users who don't need these "app-oriented" phones. Just as they did with the iPod nano and iPod shuffle, a "lite" phone which sells for a suitable price is just what the rest of the market needs.

 

[Carniphage]

I wish they'd only count smart phones in these statistics and not that dumb, unusable Nokia Symbian crap

*All* of these Nokia smartphones are one flavor of Symbian or another.

I think Nokia's strategy is to put Symbian on all their handsets. Even the low-end ones - and then claim to have an enormous smartphone market-share.

But in terms of revenue, only the N-series (N97 etc) devices are actually competing with the iPhone.

C.

 

[*LTD*]

*All* of these Nokia smartphones are one flavor of Symbian or another.

I think Nokia's strategy is to put Symbian on all their handsets. Even the low-end ones - and then claim to have an enormous smartphone market-share.

But in terms of revenue, only the N-series (N97 etc) devices are actually competing with the iPhone.

C.

Spread the junk around as much as possible. It's a common strategy in tech.

 

[Speedy2]

You reference N7x. Do you know how old those range of phones are? I don't think they are even sold anymore!

Course they are still sold! The N79 hit market a bit more than a year ago (at least in Europe) This is a perfect example of lame 20th century phone that still counts as "smartphone" even if it couldn't be further away from that term.

It's not only N7x series... there are plenty of uber crappy N8x und N9x phones around. Some of them were considered top-notch in the pre-iPhone era until people realised how bad these things really are.

Symbian is not bad per se. You COULD design a really good smartphone with it I guess, but so far, nobody has done so. There is probably a resaon why most of the big players from the olde times are moving towards Android faster than a ray of light for their high end phones.

 

[NebulaClash]

"There's no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance."

-- Steve Ballmer, CEO Microsoft, quoted in USA Today on April 29th, 2007.

 

[Stella]

Its not N79, rather N97!

There was nokia range - of N7x - i.e., N70, N71, N73 that were sold several years ago.

Course they are still sold! The N79 hit market a bit more than a year ago (at least in Europe) This is a perfect example of lame 20th century phone that still counts as "smartphone" even if it couldn't be further away from that term.

Symbian is not bad per se. You COULD design a really good smartphone with it I guess, but so far, nobody has done so.

Personally, I think my E71 is a great smartphone, as was my P900 - all Symbian.

 

[Speedy2]

Its not N79, rather N97!

There was nokia range - of N7x - i.e., N70, N71, N73 that were sold several years ago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_N79
Available October 20, 2008


By the way, what kind of joke is that:
iPhone: The cell phone for communists and censorship

Please inform yourself about "communism" before you embarrass yourself entirely.

 

[Stella]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_N79
Available October 20, 2008

OK, thanks for the link!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_N79
By the way, what kind of joke is that:
iPhone: The cell phone for communists and censorship

Please inform yourself about "communism" before you embarrass yourself entirely.

Because the iPhone not an open platform... 100% controlled by Apple.

I'm not embarrassed ( nor do I care what other people think ).

 

[reckless2k2]

Here's the REAL question:

Has Steve Jobs finally given up his Nokia for an iPhone? I know it's been a while but last I heard he was using a Nokia N97.

 

[KnightWRX]

Way to spin this into a positive. Comparing Q309 and Q409, Apple lost market share for the first time while Nokia and RIM both gained a few percentage points. This is not positive. RIM just keeps stretching their 2nd place lead over Apple quarter after quarter. Heck, Apple lost market share even though they've just had their highest unit shipment numbers, ever.

This is far from positive, the iPhone did really bad in Q409. The holiday season should've at least kept them growing as much as the market grew.

 

[adbe]

Because the iPhone not an open platform... 100% controlled by Apple.

Which has absolutely nothing to do with communism. Firstly, conflating consumer electronics with a political system is daft. Secondly, if you think that free is the opposite of communism, you're utterly misguided.

I'm not embarrassed

That isn't something to be proud of.

 

[macshill2]

Because the iPhone not an open platform... 100% controlled by Apple.

I'm not embarrassed ( nor do I care what other people think ).

I'm with ya on this one. For all the grumblings about Adobe flash, they'd rather not discuss Apple proprietary.

 

[Carniphage]

This is far from positive, the iPhone did really bad in Q409. The holiday season should've at least kept them growing as much as the market grew.

No one cares about unit market share.
Businesses care about revenue share and profitability.

Nokia's gigantic smartphone marketshare is 75% featurephones running Symbian. Nokia's proper Smartphones - the N-Series sell half the number of the iPhone.

The result: Apple makes more profit from iPhone sales, than Nokia does.

That's not "Apple makes more profit from iPhone sales, than Nokia makes from N97 sales". That's Apple's iPhone sales makes more profit than the entirety of Nokia.

C.