Apple Enters the Top Five Mobile Manufacturers for the First Time

Apple has surpassed Research in Motion (RIM) and Sony Ericsson during the third quarter of this year, becoming the fourth largest mobile device manufacturer in the world for the first time.

The company captured a 4.3 percent share of the global mobile device market by selling 14.1 million mobile phones from July to September, according to PC World. When looking at Apple’s results for the same period last year, we see that the company nearly doubled its sales figures. Nokia maintained overall leadership with 110.4 million devices sold, Samsung holds second place with 71.4 million devices, while LG Electronics is third with 28.4 million mobile phones sold. – LG has struggled due to a weak smartphone offering, while Nokia faced issues with defects in parts of its cheaper models, which diminished the sales of those mobile phones, stated Neil Mawston, director of Strategy Analytics, a company that provides analysis, advice, and recommendations to mobile device manufacturers. The firm also noted that the gap between Nokia and Samsung is smaller in the third quarter than it has ever been. BlackBerry manufacturer RIM has fallen to fifth place following Apple’s strong results. RIM sold 12.4 million mobile phones in the third quarter. According to estimates from Strategy Analytics, the global mobile device market sold a total of 327 million devices during the third quarter.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs stated that he does not believe RIM will return ahead of Apple in the coming quarters. – We have surpassed RIM and I do not believe they will catch up to us in the near future. They need to move out of the zone where they are strong and comfortable and must try to become a company that develops software platforms, which is an unfamiliar area for them, said Jobs.

Apple’s excellent results were driven by the launch of the iPhone 4 in the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany, and Japan right at the beginning of the third quarter. During those three months, it appeared across the global market, eventually launching in China towards the end of the quarter. The previous model, the iPhone 3GS, is still selling and contributes to Apple’s overall sales. RIM’s position in the top five manufacturers is in danger from several companies, according to Strategy Analytics. Sony Ericsson, which was recently among the top five, ZTE, Motorola, Huawei, and Alcatel are breathing down their necks. (Z.S)