Samsung overtakes Apple in Q3 in smartphones

From InfoWorld: Samsung beat Apple to the top position in the smartphone market in the third quarter taking a 23.8 percent share of the global market to Apple's 14.6 percent, according to data released by research firm Strategy Analytics.

Nokia was third with a 14.4 percent share. The company however continues as the largest vendor of mobile handsets, but with a reduced share of about 27 percent in the third quarter, as its global handset shipments were down 3 percent year-on-year to about 107 million units, according to data released by both IDC and Strategy Analytics on Thursday. Samsung and L.G. Electronics took the second and third place respectively in the mobile handsets market, while China's ZTE overtook Apple to become the world's fourth largest handset vendor.

pple became the world's largest smartphone vendor by volume with 18.5 percent market share in the second quarter, ahead of Samsung and Nokia, according to Strategy Analytics. Samsung also overtook Nokia in the second quarter to become the world's second largest smartphone vendor with a 17.5 percent share to Nokia's 15.2 percent.

Samsung shipped 27.8 million smartphones in the third quarter, up from 7.5 million units in the same quarter last year, while Apple shipped 17.1 million units as customers and operators waited for the fourth-quarter launch of the iPhone 4S amidst stiff competition from Samsung's Galaxy S2 model, and volatile economic conditions in several key countries, Strategy Analytics said.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Global smartphone shipments grew 44 percent annually to reach a record 117 million units in the third quarter, Strategy Analytics said.

Apple launched the iPhone 4S on Oct. 14, and said it had sold over four million units in just three days after the launch.

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