The growth in the third quarter was slower than the 13% annual growth seen during the previous one, and held back primarily by a six percent fall in EMEA. Shipments in North America were up five percent, but the APAC region saw a remarkable 26% rise after several flat quarters, a clear consequence of the improving economic situation in that region.
Nokia retained its worldwide smartphone lead, with a share of 40% – slightly up on its year-ago position, but down almost 5% sequentially. RIM held onto second place with a largely unchanged (compared to the second quarter) share of 21%, while Apple reached a new high of 18% share in third, significantly up from the 14% it held in the previous quarter as supply of the iPhone 3GS improved in many countries. HTC retained its fourth-place position with 5% share.
Looking at the market by operating system, Symbian’s overall lead shrank as its share fell to 46%, ahead of RIM and Apple. Microsoft remained in fourth with its share dipping slightly below last quarter’s previous low point of 9%. The proportion of smartphones running Google’s Android OS climbed to almost 4%, from just under 3% in the second quarter.
