Apple: The Fourth-Largest Mobile Phone Maker in The World
Hard to imagine this is even possible for a company selling a single smartphone, but Apple is now the fourth-largest mobile phone manufacturer in the world, according to data from IDC.
The company shipped some 14.1 million iPhones during the third quarter of 2010 to claim a 4.1 percent share of the market, more than Research in Motion, Motorola and Sony Ericsson, which it ousted from IDC’s Top 5 list.
“The entrance of Apple to the top 5 vendor ranking underscores the increased importance of smartphones to the overall market. Moreover, the mobile phone makers that are delivering popular smartphone models are among the fastest growing firms,” Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC’s Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker, said in a statement. “Vendors that aren’t developing a strong portfolio of smartphones will be challenged to maintain and grow market share in the future.”
And to think that two years ago Apple’s goal of selling 10 million iPhones in a year was viewed with skepticism.
[Image credits: IDC and asymco]