Apple Estimated to Retake Title of World's Largest Smartphone Vendor

strategy analytics 4q11 smartphones
Research firm Strategy Analytics today announced its estimates of the global smartphone market for the fourth quarter of 2011, finding that Apple narrowly squeezed by Samsung to retake the title of world's largest smartphone vendor as measured by unit shipments. According to Strategy Analytics' numbers, Apple's 37 million iPhones narrowly eclipsed Samsung's quarterly smartphone shipments of 36.5 million units.

Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “While Apple took the top spot in smartphones on a quarterly basis, Samsung became the market leader in annual terms for the first time with 20 percent global share during 2011. With global smartphone shipments nearing half a billion units in 2011, Samsung is now well positioned alongside Apple in a two-horse race at the forefront of one of the world’s largest and most valuable consumer electronics markets.”

Strategy Analytics showed Apple first taking the title in the second quarter of 2011 as it passed Nokia and held off a surging Samsung to become the world's largest smartphone vendor. But Apple's reign at the top was short-lived as Samsung easily topped the list in the third quarter on continued growth paired with a pause in iPhone sales ahead of the iPhone 4S launch. With the iPhone 4S launch now fueling Apple's numbers, it was able to retake the lead from Samsung in the fourth quarter, although it was not able to top the charts for full-year 2011.

One caveat for numbers released by Strategy Analytics and other research firms comes from the fact that Samsung no longer reports mobile phone sales numbers, ending the practice in mid-2010 for competitive reasons. Consequently, observers can only estimate Samsung's sales numbers based on the company's financial performance and other evidence.

Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

Michael Scrip Avatar
152 months ago


Why does it matter?

Back when Imacs came in various toxic plastic colors, the Apple fans wanted to count them all together.

Why would they now want to divide Android phones based on minor variations?

Oh wait. I know the answer.
Apple is at a disadvantage because they only offer one type of phone.

Samsung has all types: slab, qwerty, slider, big, small, etc. Samsung is simply able to cover a wider audience.

And yet Apple still sold more phones than Samsung this quarter...
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macrumorsuser10 Avatar
152 months ago
Please stop providing Strategy Analytics any limelight. It's a hack organization that only spreads meaningless numbers on shipments, not sales. What is the point?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Schtumple Avatar
152 months ago
[SIZE=1]
Why does it matter?

Back when Imacs came in various toxic plastic colors, the Apple fans wanted to count them all together.

Why would they now want to divide Android phones based on minor variations?

Oh wait. I know the answer.
That clearly wasn't my point. My point is that Samsung AS A WHOLE sells a myriad of phones that yes, are slightly different, but designed to accommodate virtually every possible design style under the sun.

Apple AS A WHOLE makes 3 phones that are all virtually identical in size and design. But yet they're doing just as well as Samsung. If you don't understand my point then don't worry.


EDIT: Here's my point dumbed down and super simple-
If you can make 3 phones that are as successful as 30... You're clearly doing something better overall.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Digital Skunk Avatar
152 months ago
Why? People who like interesting devices are not required to limit themselves to one brand.....

Agreed! I know many Apple fans have been Palm OS users before . . . especially since Apple was a Palm device vendor at one point. Going from a Treo 600 to a featureless iPhone 1 was a hard move that I am sure many actual smartphone users didn't want to make.

Or, as in my case, I didn't think it was worth the money and time to jump from Sprint to AT&T and pay full price for a phone.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kdarling Avatar
152 months ago
It always amazes me to find so many Android users on a site that is supposely aimed at consumers of Apple products.

Why? People who like interesting devices are not required to limit themselves to one brand.

Heck, I bet that many of the older Android users here have bought and used more types of computers (all the way back to early Apples) than you could possibly imagine. Their iPhones or Galaxies are just one more thing in a long list of devices they've owned, with many more yet to come.

Adults have no problem speaking freely about their things, because they've learned that pieces of glass and metal are not the important things in life.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jacobj Avatar
152 months ago
Wirefully posted (Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; MSIE 9.0; Windows NT 6.1; Win64; x64; Trident/5.0))





Why does it matter?

Back when Imacs came in various toxic plastic colors, the Apple fans wanted to count them all together.

Why would they now want to divide Android phones based on minor variations?

Oh wait. I know the answer.

Put bluntly, you and the zealous Apple fanboys have ruined this site. This used to be a place where those who liked Apple products and the innovation that the company brought could come and discuss what may happen and what had happened.

There has always been anti windows postings (I've made a few myself- usually after a bad day at work. I've also made some anti Apple ones when the "it just works" mantra didn't quite hold true), but people like you seem to be filling some void in your life with this stuff. Why dedicate so much of your time to antagonising others?

The reality is that it is human nature to make assumptions and generalisations. If we didn't then we would get anywhere on a daily basis. We have to challenge individual and group assumptions where there is reason to believe that a shift in attitude would lead to a better society. Challenging for the sake of needing to feel right is a little pathetic.

What I'm getting to is that pulling holes in an argument is easy. There is never a definitive correct answer where views are expressed about issues in which there are too many variables.

My question to you and those that argue with you is this: is changing the general view about Apple going to make the world a better place? What headline negative impact as to the way Apple operates motivates you to put in the effort? I assume it is not a case of you simply enjoying the sport. Surely antagnosing others and upsetting them is not your motivation? Surely you are not so self-righteous as to believe that you have no areas where you are harmlessly generalist in your views?

Ultimately I now have to sift through dozens of posts all the time just to get to points that don't relate to anti-Apple or pro-Apple battles.

Aiden: why?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 15 Pro Lineup Feature

iPhone 15 Models Feature New Setting to Strictly Prevent Charging Beyond 80%

Tuesday September 19, 2023 2:04 pm PDT by
All of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models feature a new battery health setting that prevents the devices from charging beyond 80% at all times when enabled, as confirmed by The Verge's Allison Johnson during a Q&A session today. The new setting is separate from the pre-existing Optimized Battery Charging feature on iPhones, which intelligently delays charging past 80% until a more...
iOS 17 and iPhones Feature

iOS 17: 10 New Features That Just Launched

Sunday September 17, 2023 12:35 pm PDT by
In June, Apple announced iOS 17 with a wide range of new features and changes for the iPhone. Following over three months of beta testing, the free software update will be released this Monday, September 18 for the iPhone XS and newer. Below, we have recapped 10 key features coming to the iPhone with iOS 17, with additional features coming later this year. The update should be released to...
iOS 17

Apple Releases iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1 With Bug Fixes, Plus iOS 17.0.2 for iPhone 15 Models

Thursday September 21, 2023 10:28 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1 updates for the iPhone and the iPad, adding bug fixes to the new software. The iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1 updates come just a few days after Apple launched iOS 17 and iPadOS 17. The software, which is build 21A340, can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. There is a...
emojipedia 15 1 emoji

Emoji Coming to Future iOS 17 Update Include Shaking Head, Brown Mushroom, Lime, Phoenix and More

Tuesday September 19, 2023 12:43 pm PDT by
As Apple was announcing new iPhone models last week, the Unicode Consortium was officially approving new emoji characters that are set to be added to smartphones starting in 2024. Mockup of new emoji from Emojipedia Approved Unicode 15.1 emoji include phoenix, lime, an edible mushroom, shaking head vertically (as in a "yes" nod), shaking head horizontally (a "no" head shake), and broken...