Apple Ranks No.1 Smartphone Down Under
December 7th, 2010 | by Mobile Data Group |Apple has overtaken Nokia for the first time to become the number one smartphone vendor in Australia.
The iPhone-maker now accounts for 36.5 per cent of the smartphone market, eclipsing Nokia’s 30.5 per cent share, according to analyst firm IDC’s Q3 Mobile Device Tracker, released today.
But Google’s Android platform is growing even faster than Appe’s iOS with a 21 per cent share, up from 7.1 per cent in Q2 and only 2.1 per cent in Q1.
IDC Australia telecommunications analyst Mark Novosel predicted in May that Apple would knock Nokia off its perch as the number one smartphone maker this year. Today, he said Apple would enjoy a solid run into next year but could soon be overtaken by Android.
“It’s looking like next year it’s going to be close between Android and Apple but I would be inclined to say that Apple will keep its lead, although we have been under pretty much every quarter with our Android forecast so anything really is possible at this stage,” he said in a phone interview.
“Given the way that it is growing, this time next year Android could be number one. It really depends how next year will pan out.”
The figures represent a significant fall from grace for Nokia, which is still the top mobile maker overall with a 37.6 per cent share but has struggled to compete in the high-end smartphone space. Its latest offering, the N8, has been panned by reviewers due to the lacklustre Symbian operating system.
“Nokia remained at the top of the smartphone market since 2002, when it unseated Palm to become the highest selling smartphone vendor in Australia,” Novosel said.