By Tony Chan
Smartphone shipment numbers in the second quarter of 2012 from Apple and Samsung indicated increased dominance by the number one and two market leaders, according to market researchers IHS iSuppli.
For the quarter, Samsung (36m units) and Apple (26m units) shipped a total of 62 million handsets, compared to a combined total of 39 million units by Nokia, RIM, ZTE, Huawei and LG. The research did not cover HTC, which has yet to report shipment figures.
“Samsung and Apple are vying for the top spot in the smartphone segment, with leadership sometimes switching from quarter to quarter. However, the reality is that the market increasingly is becoming a twohorse race, with Apple and Samsung enjoying a shared domination of the industry because of their respective strategies,” the report noted.
IHS senior analyst for wireless communications, Wayne Lam, highlighted Apple’s success as its ability to create “product designs that not only anticipate users’ needs but produce novel functions that consumers have yet to anticipate.” Samsung’s success, Lam added, comes from its ability to “execute efficiently as a ‘fast follower’ in terms of design and manufacturing. – www.commsday.com
