IDC: Nokia Remains Top Smartphone Vendor Worldwide

From DailyTech: While 2010 was a blockbuster year for smartphone sales across the globe (the market grew by 72 percent last year), 2011 so far looks to be a continuation of the trend.

Yesterday, research firm IDC reported that the smartphone market grew 79.7 percent in the first quarter of 2011, compared to the first quarter of 2010. From January 1 to March 31, 99.6 million smartphones were shipped globally, nearly doubling the 55.4 million units shipped in the same period last year.

"Conditions in the smartphone market are creating a perfect storm for sustained smartphone growth," IDC Analyst Ramon Llamas said in a press release. He attributed the growth to a few key factors: vendors focusing on smartphones as key to growth, vendors offering a wider selection of devices price-wise, competitive pricing in general, and consumers' desires to utilize features other than just voice.

All these factors equate to sustained smartphone growth. And saturation doesn't seem to be too close. "The relatively nascent state of smartphone adoption globally means there is ample room for several suppliers to comfortably co-exist, at least for the short term," IDC Analyst Kevin Restivo said, adding that the market will remain highly competitive and fragmented.

And despite Nokia's recent struggles, including a 12.6 percent drop in marketshare, the Finnish company remained the top smartphone vendor in the first quarter amid strong Symbian demand worldwide. Apple grew by 114.4 percent year-over-year, to solidify its spot in second place, with Research In Motion, Samsung, and HTC all rounding out the top five in that order. Samsung, bolstered by its cross-carrier Galaxy line of Android smartphones, saw a whopping 350-percent growth rate from last year, securing a solid 10.8 percent of the market (compared to just 4.3 percent last year).

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