Apple's Share of Smartphone Market Slips as Smartphones Outsell Feature Phones for First TimeResearch firm IDC yesterday released its estimates on worldwide mobile phone sales for the first quarter of 2013, showing Apple losing some ground in the smartphone market with only 6.6% year-over-year growth compared to 41.6% growth for the entire market. Still, Apple maintained a firm grasp on the number two spot behind Samsung, as challengers LG, Huawei, and ZTE were unable to reach the 5% mark during the quarter. Worldwide Smartphone Shipments in 1Q13 in Millions of Units (Source: IDC)Apple's smartphone shipment volume hit a new first-quarter high thanks in part to the iPhone 5, with volume growing 6.6% year over year. However, the last time the iPhone maker posted a single-digit year-over-year growth rate was 3Q09. The iPhone maker has held the second spot in the smartphone rankings for the past five quarters. Apple's mix of models shipped to market is increasingly diversified as it tries to reach new buyers.Apple does, however, continue to ride the wave of popularity for smartphones, with IDC noting that smartphones outsold feature phones for the first time during the quarter. As a result, Apple's 6.6% year-over-growth outpaced the 4.0% growth rate of the mobile phone market as a whole, allowing Apple to creep up to an 8.9% share. Worldwide Mobile Phone Shipments in 1Q13 in Millions of Units (Source: IDC) Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories • 'LEGO Batman: DC Super Heroes' Hits iOS App Store • Apple Sends Press 'Decade of iTunes' Anniversary Keepsake with 100 Free Songs • Popular Read-Later App Instapaper Sold to Betaworks • Leap Motion Controller Delayed Until July for Longer Beta Test • 'XCOM: Enemy Unknown' Elite Edition Now Available for Mac • Twitter for Mac Updated With Retina Support and More • LinkedIn Launches Standalone Contact Aggregation App • Apple's First Berlin Store to Open Friday, May 3
http://www.macrumors.com/2013/04/26/apples-share-of-smartphone-market-slips-as-smartphones-outsell-feature-phones-for-first-time/
