Sales of smartphones have been growing over the past 12 months, but new research from analyst firm Gartner shows Apple and BlackBerry maker Research in Motion are actively gaining market share.
The “Market Share: Smartphones worldwide 2008” report shows Nokia shipped 60 million smartphones last year to reach a market share of 43.7%. iPhone maker Apple increased its market share from 2.7% in 2007 to 8.2% in 2008, while BlackBerry maker Research in Motion claimed 16.6%.
HTC, which released the first phone to use the Google Android operating system, claimed 4.3% of the market. Samsung only managed to grab 4.2% market share.
“In general in 2008, the focus from vendors and operators on increasing their smartphone portfolios remained very strong,” research director at Gartner Roberta Cozza said in a statement.
“Samsung, RIM, HTC, and Apple saw their volumes and share increase during 2008, thanks to their ability to offer compelling device experiences and touch interfaces.”
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
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