Study: Global Mobile Phone Sales Take A Hit

Posted on May 21 2012 - 11:04am by Editorial Staff

A recent study by market research firm Forward Concepts found that smartphones continue to be the engine behind the mobile sector: 139 million units were sold in the first quarter of 2012, representing 37 percent of the total global cellular phone market. 6.9 percent increase quarter over quarter, but a 44.4 percent gain year over year in terms of growth.

Apple and Samsung raised their combined share to 45.7 percent while Nokia having only an 8.6 percent share of the market. Although according to report, Chinese carrier suffered a lot. Talking about tablets, in 1Q12, Apple’s iPad saw a 59.3 percent share while shipments of Google Android-based tablets declined.

Market metrics are the central focus of the study, and some key top-level findings include:

  • Worldwide sales of mobile phones (budget, midrange, feature and smartphones) to end users reached 379 million units in the first quarter of 2012, a 9% decline from the first quarter of 2011.
  • Sales of smartphones continued to drive mobile device market growth, reaching 139 million units in the first quarter of 2012, reaching 37% of the global cellphone market.
  • Smartphone vendors, Apple and Samsung, raised their combined share to 45.7%, up from 30% in the first quarter of 2011, and widening their lead over Nokia – which saw its smartphone market share drop to 8.6 percent.
  • In the first quarter of 2012, Apple iPADs achieved a 59.3% share of the media tablet market (which includes the sub-$199 Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook).
  • Apple’s multimode LTE “iPAD3” has positioned the company to offer the iPAD2 at lower prices, causing a decline in Android tablet shipments.
  • Ereader manufacturers shipped just 1.4 million units in the first quarter of 2012, down from 4.2 million units shipped in the final quarter of 2011.

(Image Source: Flickr, Forward Concepts)

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Editorial Staff at I2Mag is a team of subject experts.