Analysts signal a potential “two-horse race” between Apple and Samsung

Apr 30, 2012 09:31 GMT  ·  By

Strategy Analytics has rolled out the latest research regarding global smartphone shipments, acknowledging a 41 percent growth annually to reach 145 million units in the first quarter of 2012.

The figures are a direct result of Samsung and Apple together capturing more than half of the global smartphone shipments. This is a first for the industry, according to the firm.

Alex Spektor, Associate Director at Strategy Analytics, said, “Global smartphone shipments grew 41 percent annually to reach 145.3 million units in Q1 2012. Samsung overtook Apple to become the world’s largest smartphone vendor by volume with a record 31 percent market share.

"Samsung’s global smartphone shipments rose 253 percent annually to 44.5 million units, as demand surged for its popular Galaxy models such as the Note, S2 and Y.”

Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, Neil Mawston, has an even more interesting take on the matter.

He acknowledges that “Apple shipped 35.1 million smartphones worldwide and captured 24 percent marketshare, as volumes strengthened in key countries such as China, United States and Japan.”

He then notes that, for the first time ever, Apple and Samsung now account for more than half of global smartphone shipments, adding that “Samsung and Apple are outcompeting most of their major rivals and the smartphone market is at risk of becoming a two-horse race.”

The report also mentions Nokia, with Tom Kang, director at Strategy Analytics, explaining that the Finnish phone vendor’s new Microsoft Lumia portfolio “has recently gotten off to an encouraging start in the critical United States market, but shipments there are not yet large enough to offset the firm’s tumbling Symbian volumes in the rest of the world.”

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak loves his new Lumia 900. He revealed in an interview that Android platforms don’t come anywhere near this Windows-powered phone, and that iOS remains his favorite platform.