Apr 30
RIM Becomes First Smartphone Vendor to Crack Top 5
Posted in: BlackBerry, LG, nokia, RIM, samsung, Sony Ericsson, Today's ChiliWow, that smartphone revolution is really taking off. This quarter RIM became the first smartphone-centric company to register as one of the top 5 global mobile phone manufacturers, according to a new report from research firm IDC.
RIM’s feat is impressive because the vast majority of phones sold are still “feature phones,” which RIM doesn’t make any of.
Remember, these are global numbers, not US numbers. For the first quarter of 2010, Nokia is still the #1 global mobile phone company with 36.6% market share, followed by Samsung with 21.8%, LG with 9.2%, and RIM and Sony Ericsson both tied at 3.6%.
Here in the US, Motorola and LG are stronger than they are globally, and Nokia and Sony Ericsson are weaker. Our top 5 here in the US are Motorola, LG, Samsung, Nokia and RIM, according to ComScore’s February numbers for US mobile phone subscribers. ComScore’s numbers reflect existing user bases while IDC’s reflect sales, so ComScore’s stats do reflect a lot of people hanging on to old Motorola RAZRs.
RIM’s growth outpaced the industry at 45.2% year over year, according to IDC, and it was accompanied by a decline in Motorola’s sales, bumping Motorola out of the global top five for the first time since 2004. Strong international demand for the BlackBerry 8520 – which I’ve heard is selling like gangbusters in India – and the 9700 pumped RIM’s sales up to 10.6 million units for the quarter.
The BlackBerry OS may need a fresh start in my mind, but nobody can deny the success that RIM has had in putting smartphones in people’s hands.
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