Microsoft has a central market place for Windows Mobile applications in the making. It is the latest (and maybe the last) of the big smartphone platform makers to come forth with such a model. And – with a probably already somewhat reflexive jab to its Cupertino nemesis (yes, Mr Gates’ children are not allowed iPods), it vowed to be more open to outside software developers.
Tag: RIM Page 4 of 6
World market leader Nokia had a bruising 2008, at least in the smartphone field. According to a study, the Finns’ market share in this segment dropped by 10% to a – well – still fairly respectable 40.8% in Q4/2008 (as compared to 50.9% a for the quarter in the previous year). Painful!
Worldwide: Smartphone Sales to End Users by Vendor
(Thousands of Units)
Company | 4Q08 Sales | Market Share4Q08 (%) | 4Q07 Sales | Market Share4Q07 (%) | 4Q07-4Q08 Growth (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nokia | 15,561.7 | 40.8% | 18,703.3 | 50.9% | -16.8% |
RIM | 7,442.6 | 19.5% | 4,024.7 | 10.9% | 84.9% |
Apple | 4,079.4 | 10.7% | 1,928.3 | 5.2% | 111.6% |
HTC | 1,631.7 | 4.3% | 1,361.1 | 3.7% | 19.9% |
Samsung | 1,598.2 | 4.2% | 671.5 | 1.8% | 138.0% |
Others | 7,829.7 | 20.5% | 10,077.3 | 27.4% | -22.3% |
Total | 38,143.3 | 100% | 36,766.1 | 100% | 3.7% |
Worldwide: Smartphone Sales to End Users by Vendor, 2008
Company | 2008 Sales | Market Share 2008 | 2007 Sales | Market Share 2007 | Growth 2007-2008 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nokia | 60,920.5 | 43.7% | 60,465.0 | 49.4% | 0.8% |
RIM | 23,149.0 | 16.6% | 11,767.7 | 9.6% | 96.7% |
Apple | 11,417.5 | 8.2% | 3,302.6 | 2.7% | 245.7% |
HTC | 5,895.4 | 4.2% | 3,718.5 | 3.0% | 58.5% |
Sharp | 5,234.2 | 3.8% | 6,885.3 | 5.6% | -24.0% |
Others | 32,671.4 | 23.5% | 36,176.6 | 29.6% | -9.7% |
Total | 139,287.9 | 100% | 122,315.6 | 100% | 13.9% |
Worldwide: Smartphone Sales to End Users by Operating System, 4Q08
Company | 4Q08 Sales | Market Share 4Q08 | 4Q07 Sales | Market Share 4Q07 | Growth 4Q07-4Q08 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Symbian | 17,949.1 | 47.1% | 22,902.5 | 62.3% | -21.6% |
RIM | 7,442.6 | 19.5% | 4,024.7 | 10.9% | 84.9% |
Windows Mobile | 4,713.9 | 12.4% | 4,374.4 | 11.9% | 7.8% |
Mac OS X | 4,079.4 | 10.7% | 1,928.3 | 5.2% | 111.6% |
Linux | 3,194.9 | 8.4% | 2,675.9 | 7.3% | 19.4% |
Palm OS | 326.5 | 0.9% | 449.1 | 1.2% | -27.3% |
Other OSs | 436.9 | 1.1% | 411.3 | 1.1% | 6.2% |
Total | 38,143.3 | 100% | 36,766.1 | 100% | 3.7% |
Note: The “Other OSs” category includes sales of Sharp Sidekick devices based on the Danger platform.
Worldwide: Smartphone Sales to End Users by Operating System, 2008
Company | 2008 Sales | Market Share 2008 | 2007 Sales | Market Share 2007 | Growth 2007-2008 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Symbian | 72,933.5 | 52.4% | 77,684.0 | 63.5% | -6.1% |
RIM | 23,149.0 | 16.6% | 11,767.7 | 9.6% | 96.7% |
Windows Mobile | 16,498.1 | 11.8% | 14,698.0 | 12.0% | 12.2% |
Mac OS X | 11,417.5 | 8.2% | 3,302.6 | 2.7% | 245.7% |
Linux | 11,262.9 | 8.1% | 11,756.7 | 9.6% | -4.2% |
Palm OS | 2,507.2 | 1.8% | 1,762.7 | 1.4% | 42.2% |
Other OSs | 1,519.7 | 1.1% | 1,344.0 | 1.1% | 13.1% |
Total | 139,287.9 | 100% | 122,315.6 | 100% | 13.9% |
Note: The “Other OSs” category includes sales of Sharp Sidekick devices based on the Danger platform.
Blackberry Maker RIM launched a holding site ahead of the launch of its Blackberry App World (the equivalent to Apple’s AppStore), and it had a little surprise in hand: billing appears to be handled via PayPal (the fine print does not need translation: “to be able to purchase applications from BlackBerry App World, a PayPal Account is required”).
I previously looked at recession-busting sectors and products, and here’s more proof that not all is bad: two reports point out that smartphones continue to outperform the market rather significantly, recording growth figures of 25.9% year-on-year in Europe; the growth for all of 2007 vs 2008 was even more impressive: they grew by 36.1%. In the US, smartphones increased their share of the overall mobile phone market from 12% in Q4/2007 to 25% a year later. Good numbers!
There’s new data out on the bestselling handsets, and this time it is not being derived from accessory sales (which may have its flaws as I pointed out here) but from a survey amongst service reps and store managers across the 4 big US mobile networks (Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile; these comprise 85% of the total subscriber base). Now, this would arguably reduce the recorded sales for the iPhone since this is also being sold via Apple’s own retail stores as well as Walmart, Best Buy, etc. So again not an entirely accurate yardstick, huh?
Smartphone content vendor Handango releases a smartphone “yardstick” every year containing the top sellers from data in their store. Anecdotally, smartphone apps are more often sold via direct stores (rather than operator decks) than “normal” (not smart?) phones, owing of course to the better connectability (not necessarily connectivity) of high-end phones: input mechanisms (Querty, touchscreen, better D-pads), almost always 3G phones, etc make for a more satisfying user experience (try inputting a web URL via a basic phone keypad… painful!).
1. Spb Mobile Shell 2.1.4 (today screen plug-in) – $29.95
2. MobiTV (streaming television) – $9.99/month
3. Ringtone Megaplex (ringtones) – $19.95
4. Spb Backup 2.0.1 (file backup) – $24.95
5. Spb Pocket Plus 4.0.2 (today screen plug-in) – $29.95
6. Pocket Informant 8 (today screen plug-in) – $29.95
7. Spb Phone Suite 1.3 (phone features) – $19.95
8. VoiceControl (voice command) – $6.00
9. Colour Your Trackball (trackball customizer) – $4.95
10. eWallet (Professional Edition) (PIM manager) – $29.95
And here’s a chart of the game categories – and, no, still no first-person-shooters in the top 10:1. Spb Brain Evolution 1.2 (puzzle game)
2. Aces Texas Hold’em® – No Limit (card game)
3. TETRIS (puzzle game)
4. Guitar Hero 3 Mobile (music game)
5. Bejeweled (puzzle game)
6. Aces Solitaire Pack (card game)
7. The Sims 2 (strategy game)
8. Jewelrumble 2 (puzzle game)9. Sudoku Puzzle Pack (puzzle game)
10. Solitaire Buddy Gold (card game)
Blackberry maker RIM announced it had raced through the “epic” 50m device barrier. An honourable feat indeed! Symbian fired of a riposte (or was it Symbian-fan-boy-bloggers that did? I don’t know) that it had sold just under 80m devices in 2007 alone (with a total install base of 250m), and the Blackberry story therefore was to be considered as “how very quaint”.