Apple's Share of Global Mobile Phone Market Hits 5%

091933 idc 1q11 phones

Research firm IDC today released results for global mobile phone sales for the first quarter of 2011, showing Apple hitting a 5% share of the overall market for the first time. The data also shows Apple regaining the fourth-place position it lost to ZTE last quarter.

Apple maintained its number 4 spot on IDC's Top 5 list thanks to a record quarter for unit shipments. The company posted the highest growth rate of the worldwide leaders. Apple's results were buoyed by strong sales on Verizon Wireless and additional carrier deals; the company is now on 186 carriers operating in 90 countries. The iPhone once again sold particularly well in developed economic regions of the world, such as North America and Western Europe.

Apple's 114.9% year-over-growth easily led the major mobile phone manufacturers and enabled the company to grow its share of the market from 2.8% to 5.0%.

Apple's initial goal when it launched the iPhone in 2007 was to capture 1% of the global mobile phone market, a figure met with some skepticism by the company's competitors. Apple of course quickly reached that goal and has continued to post strong unit sales growth as consumers have increasingly turned to smartphones for their mobile device needs.

In support of IDC's numbers, Strategy Analytics released a similar report today showing Apple with 5.3% of the overall worldwide mobile phone market for the quarter. The primary difference between the two reports comes from IDC counting approximately 20 million more handsets in the "Others" category than Strategy Analytics.

A report released just yesterday by NPD showed Apple taking 14% of the total mobile market in the United States, but the company of course holds a lower share of the worldwide market due in part to the premium pricing its devices carry in many countries where consumers are more likely to purchase low-end phones on prepaid plans.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Wednesday October 1, 2025 1:26 pm PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, and Safari. More features and changes will follow in future versions,...
iPhone 17 vs Air and Pros Feature

New iPhones See 'Stronger Than Expected' Demand With One Exception

Thursday October 2, 2025 7:26 am PDT by
Nearly two weeks after the iPhone 17 series launched, analysts at investment banking firm Morgan Stanley said demand for the devices has been "modestly stronger than we originally expected," based on a combination of extended shipping estimates on Apple's online store and information it gathered from Apple's supply chain. There has been strong early demand for the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro,...
space black mbp

Here's Every New Apple Product That Leaked Yesterday

Wednesday October 1, 2025 8:27 am PDT by
A handful of upcoming Apple products leaked yesterday, through a combination of YouTube videos out of Russia and U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) documents that were released, despite Apple's confidentiality requests. The leaked products include an iPad Pro with an M5 chip, as well as updated MacBook Pro and Apple Vision Pro models. All of these devices had already been rumored...
Apple 2025 Thumb 1

Apple's 2025 Product Roadmap: What's Still Coming

Wednesday October 1, 2025 3:56 pm PDT by
Apple's two big yearly events, WWDC and the iPhone launch, are done and over with, but there are still some new products that we're expecting to see before the end of the year. Apple TV The Apple TV hasn't been updated since 2022, so it's due for a refresh. It doesn't look like Apple is going to change the design of its set-top box, but we can expect a faster chip Apple code suggests...
macbook air prime day 2025

M5 MacBook Air: Release Date, Features, and Performance Predictions

Friday October 3, 2025 3:39 am PDT by
The MacBook Air is Apple's most popular laptop – a thin, fanless machine that wields quiet power thanks to the efficiency of Apple silicon. While the M4 model isn't exactly old, attention is already turning to its successor. Apple doesn't telegraph new product launches ahead of time, but we can draw a surprisingly clear picture of what to expect by looking at Apple's silicon roadmap,...
Tim Cook Rainbow

Apple Event in October? Here's What to Expect

Monday September 29, 2025 9:31 am PDT by
Apple's annual iPhone event is in the rearview mirror, but rumors suggest the company plans to release a handful of additional products before the year ends. Will there be another Apple event this October? We discuss the possibility below. Apple in October Apple's most recent October events were in 2021 and 2023. In 2022 and 2024, Apple did not host an October event. Instead, it...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro teal 1

Apple's iPhone Driver's License Feature Now Available in 11 U.S. States

Tuesday September 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Apple recently revealed that the feature would soon be available in North Dakota, and starting today, the feature has officially gone...
iPhone 17e Feature 1

iPhone 17e: All the Rumors So Far

Thursday October 2, 2025 4:55 am PDT by
Earlier this year, Apple released the $599 iPhone 16e – a budget-friendly late addition to its iPhone 16 series and a replacement for its long-running entry-level iPhone SE line. Given the iPhone 17 lineup has now launched, can we expect an iPhone 17e anytime soon? If you're holding out for a more affordable device with the 17 moniker attached, here's everything we know so far about the...
iOS 26 Everything New Feature

26 Hidden iOS 26 Tricks to Change How You Use Your iPhone

Wednesday October 1, 2025 9:16 am PDT by
Apple released iOS 26 in mid-September, bringing a range of new features and changes to iPhones across the globe. But not all of the included improvements have been showcased with Apple's typical fanfare, and many are likely to have been overlooked. Below, we've highlighted 26 lesser known additions and enhancements that could potentially change how you use your iPhone on a daily basis. Got...

Top Rated Comments

SandynJosh Avatar
188 months ago
I only know 2 people with an iphone all the rest have either the HTC Desire or Desire HD. Once I showed my friends my Desire they all switched. Same as my work too. Nearly everyone had an iphone then I brought my HTC into the office and within a few weeks everyone had a Desire :D

HINT: When lying, always make it a believable lie.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
acidfast7 Avatar
188 months ago
In Stockholm and Frankfurt, I hardly see any iPhones. Also, I hardly see any iPads. I do however see a ton of MacBookPros but almost no MacBookAirs.

I find both places very style-centric (Stockholm especially), but also somewhat frugal. I don't think that iPhone will reach as large of a market share in Europe due to the high upfront cost of an iPhone (659€/799€ for 16GB/32GB).

Actually, it's running joke that you can identify an American by iPhone/iPad (aside from the loud inane conversation).
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WolfXL Avatar
188 months ago
Guess not, if I was selling Fruit on my market stall and someone said, what's your top/best selling item of fruit and I said, oh, Apple's Apples are the No.1 and No.2 best selling pieces of fruit I have, they outsell everything.

Oh, so you sell loads of Apples the guy asks?

No, I don't sell that many Apple's compared to my other fruit.

the bloke leave with a confused look on his face.

Just because someone is confused by math, doesn't make the math wrong.

To use your fruit example. Say your top 2 selling fruits were green and red apples. 30 red, and 20 green each a day. Which would account for 50 apples a day. Now to keep things simple, let's say you also sell 95 other fruits that aren't apples, but you only sell 10 of each of them a day.

Now, in a day, you sell 3 times as many red apples as you do to all non-apple fruits, and you sell 2 times as many green apples as you do to all non-apple fruits. They are your top 2 sellers by far....but they still only account for 5% of your fruit sales.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bpaluzzi Avatar
188 months ago
The problem for Apple is that Android handsets come out, which are the very top and, as you say the same price, then a while later a new top Android phone comes out, so the old one gets offered to people at a lower price, then an even newer Android handset comes out, so the original one is now offered at a very lower price and so it goes on.

So, people can may a LOT for an iPhone or get an Android phone that was the very best a while ago for much less.

Apple don't tend to let old models slip down the pricing ladder in this way, hence they will always lose out from amass of sales that are at low to medium price bracket, and that's where the bulk of the consumer market is.

Apple are the only ones that lose out due to this policy.

And to be honest, a lot of people don't know, care, understand. the iPhone is just another phone, like and Android phone. they are all the same thing, you can get apps and games on them all and they are all phones.

Lots of people just don't care.

Cool story. Only problem, of course, is the facts.

iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS are the #1 and #2 selling handsets.

Not big on business sense, are you? Apple doesn't "let old models slip down on pricing" because they don't have to. Do you think other companies reduce prices on their phones out of the goodness of their heart? They lower the prices because nobody wants them.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Small White Car Avatar
188 months ago
I'm still amazed that we're at the point where we can measure Apple on the 'mobile phone' scale and not just the 'smartphone' scale.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
OllyW Avatar
188 months ago
Grabbing 5% of the total phone market with an expensive product is amazing in such a short time. :cool:
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)