New in OS X: Get MacRumors Push Notifications on your Mac

Resubscribe Now Close

Samsung Easily Tops Apple to Become World's Top Smartphone Manufacturer

Friday October 28, 2011 6:28 am PDT by Eric Slivka
Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that Samsung had overtaken Apple for the title of world's top-selling smartphone manufacturer, relying on a source who indicated that Samsung had shipped over 20 million smartphones in the third quarter, compared to Apple's announced sales of 17.1 million iPhones.

Samsung today officially announced its financial results for the third quarter, and while it no longer releases smartphone sales units, it did disclose that smartphone sales were up more than 40% over the previous quarter. With Samsung having been close on Apple's heels during the second quarter and Apple's sales declining in the third quarter as customers waited for the iPhone 4S, that growth enabled Samsung to easily surpass Apple in the smartphone segment.


Research firm Strategy Analytics has released its data on smartphone shipments for the third quarter, pegging Samsung at 27.8 million units while Apple barely edged out Nokia for second place by a margin of 17.1 million units to 16.8 million units.
Neil Mawston, Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “After just one quarter in the top spot, Apple slipped behind Samsung to second position and captured 15 percent share. Apple’s global smartphone growth rate slowed to just 21 percent annually in Q3 2011, its lowest level for two years. We believe Apple’s growth during the third quarter was affected by consumers and operators awaiting the launch of the new iPhone 4S in the fourth quarter, volatile economic conditions in several key countries, and tougher competition from Samsung’s popular Galaxy S2 model.”
While Apple is expecting all-time record iPhone sales during the current quarter as the iPhone 4S rolls out around the world, it still may not be enough to overcome Samsung's significant lead and strong growth.

In the overall mobile phone market, Strategy Analytics pegged Apple in fifth place, slipping behind ZTE compared to the previous quarter. Apple's share of the total market fell to 4.4%, down from 5.6% in the second quarter.

[ 533 comments ]


Top Rated Comments

(View all)

Avatar
koobcamuk
99 months ago
Doesn't stop the fact that Apple have possibly the most elegant phone ever made:

(http://martindesu.tumblr.com/)

(photo from my tumblr)

... and the OS is just as good.
Rating: 44 Votes
Avatar
iSee
99 months ago
I'm happy with this...

I'm pretty much married to iOS platform and don't want to start over with andriod. But this is the kind of thing that will hopefully get Apple to shore up the holes in iOS.

E.g., yesterday I was dying for Siri to turn-by-turn directions.
Rating: 21 Votes
Avatar
kiljoy616
99 months ago
Good for them, I like to see more of this, I don't want Apple to sit on their past gains after this is Apple, the company that brings "magic to life" what other company do people get so excited that they can't wait to see what else they bring out.

I dont' care if Apple is 2 or 4th what I care is they keep Steve Jobs legacy alive and keep bringing things we want and haters unable to control their fits. :rolleyes:
Rating: 14 Votes
Avatar
Steve's Barber
99 months ago

I love how people always equate every other brand other then Apple to be piles of junk. Comments like that are why I'm embarrassed and literally hide the fact I use :apple: products.


I know how you feel.

Granted, MR seems to draw all the giggling teenies and iWorshipers but sometimes their pom-pom waving around here creates way too much of a breeze.

It's really embarrassing.
Rating: 10 Votes
Avatar
Funkymonk
99 months ago
PC's outsells Macs

"who cares if PC sells more, it's not about market share, it's about the quality of the product and Macs are better. They simply just are!"

Apple Outsells everyone else

"APPLE IS THE ABSOLUTE BEST, THEY SELL MORE THAN EVERYONE ELSE, ISN'T IT OBVIOUS TO YOU THAT APPLE IS THE BEST, JUST LOOK AT THE NUMBERS. LOOOK AT THE NUMBAHHHSSSS!!!

Samsung outsells Apple

"who cares if samsung sold more, it's not about market share, it's about the quality of the product and iPhones are better. They simply just are!"



lol :p I like apple products more too but there's a lot of hypocrisy going on here
Rating: 9 Votes
Avatar
Rafterman
99 months ago
I have to laugh at reading some of these posts and the lengths at which people will wear their rose colored glasses when it concerns Apple. I own as many Apple products as anyone - A Macbook Pro, a Macbook Air, a Mac Mini, an iMac, 64GB iPad 2, 64GB iPhone 4S, two Apple TV's and several thousand dollars over the years in iTunes content. So I am as much of "fanboy" as anyone.

But the mere mention of a company, product or service even suggested as being superior to Apple will drive some people to insanity. Some people need to get a grip. Apple is just a company, not a religion. Yikes.
Rating: 9 Votes
Avatar
dimoman
99 months ago
Guys - switched form iPhone 4 to Samsung Galaxy 2, and was having the option to get 4S... BTW always been an Apple fan, work on mac, own iPad... and to tell you the truth Android on that Samsung is not bad at all! Samsung make good phones. So not sure why so many surprised folks here.

(I will probably get the iPhone5 when it comes out, but as of right now Galaxy 2 is the better phone)
Rating: 8 Votes
Avatar
samcraig
99 months ago
But there's something you still don't get. For everyone that buys an Android phone (or any non iOS phone) - it's a customer Apple is not selling their iPhone to. End of story.

Apple's profits and sales are outstanding. Other manufacturers can have their own successes to and have a different model.

Ok. And?

Over 60 phone models. Some run Android, some run something else.

I would be the height of embarrassment if Samsung can't push all those units - from the good, to the bad, to the ugly, that are priced to match.

Samsung sells 68 Galaxy phone models (including a few tablets.)

http://www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?sQuickSearch=yes&sName=samsung+galaxy

Just filter the search to your heart's content:

http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung-phones-f-9-10.php

There are certain standards of phone that Apple refuses to ship. This necessarily means that OEM box-makers who push massive volume with universally-licensed operating systems have a much easier time with flooding the market. This is hardly an impressive feat. Especially when the competition that runs a vertically-integrated model with an unlicensed OS tops all the indicators that actually matter, including this:

https://www.macrumors.com/2011/09/08/apple-again-tops-j-d-power-rankings-of-smartphone-consumer-satisfaction/

http://mashable.com/2011/09/09/apple-customer-satisfaction-survey/


Universal-licensing and flooding the market with all manner of flotsam and jetsam is really the poor man's path to fame.

Rating: 8 Votes
Avatar
something3153
99 months ago

Ok. And?

Over 60 phone models. Some run Android, some run something else.

I would be the height of embarrassment if Samsung can't push all those units - from the good, to the bad, to the ugly, that are priced to match.


I've never heard a convincing reason that offering more models invalidates sales, just a lot of herp-derping from people who've found something to latch onto.
Rating: 8 Votes
Avatar
samcraig
99 months ago

meanwhile samsung is too pu**y to compare the sale s of GSII with iPhone 4 :rolleyes:.


In the end, it takes samsung 200 smartphone models to beat apple's one in numbers; but most people realize, quality > quantity. ;)


You and LTD still don't get it.

Whether it's 1 phone or 1000 - the fact is - for every customer that has a Samsung phone, Apple doesn't not have them as a phone customer.

Different companies have different models for success. Apple has greater profits with less phones and other manufacturers have profits with more phones.

The Apple way is not the ONLY way.
Rating: 8 Votes

[ Read All Comments ]