In the third quarter of 2010 (Q3 2010), the worldwide smart phone market grew 95% over the same quarter a year ago to 80.9 million shipped units, according to new data from the Canalys research group (http://www.canalys.com). Nokia retained its leadership position, albeit by a diminished margin, with a 33% share of the market.
However, Apple’s healthy performance this quarter saw it achieve a 17% share worldwide, a little ahead of RIM, which held a 15% share this quarter. In the world’s largest smart phone market, the US, Apple ousted RIM from the top spot, seizing a 26% share as iPhone shipments continued unabated.
RIM has also launched its latest generation smart phone, the Torch, though it only saw half a quarter’s shipments in the US. But the plethora of smart phones running the Open Handset Alliance’s (OHA’s) Android platform meant that Canalys’ final published country-level data shows that it took the lead in the US market by operating system (OS), with a 44% share.