Smart mobile device shipments rose by 11.7pc in the third quarter of the year, according to new data from the UK research firm Canalys.
The market growth was slightly higher than the previous quarter’s, which was 10.6pc, but well below the 100pc-plus growth rates seen last year, the findings showed. In total, some 7,319,690 devices were shipped between July, August and September, up from 6,552,850 in the same three months last year.
Nokia was the “comfortable” market leader, accounting for 5,500,830 units alone, giving it a 75.2pc share which was up slightly from last year.
By contrast, shipments of unconnected handhelds fell to below 500,000, which Canalys said was a level not seen since the same quarter four years ago and “a far cry from the million units seen in some quarters over the past two years”.
The Symbian S60 operating system, found on handsets from Nokia and Sony Ericsson, enjoyed good growth in the quarter, rising to 78.7pc from 76.6pc in the same period a year ago. Canalys pointed out that the decline in unconnected handhelds hurt Microsoft’s market share for mobile operating systems. In Q3 Windows mobile devices represented 16.9pc of the total, down from 18pc a year ago. This was despite the fact that shipments of Windows Mobile based converged devices, such as smart phones and wireless handhelds, increased by almost 80pc year on year. RIM, maker of the BlackBerry, was in third place for operating systems with 3.5pc of the market.
By Gordon Smith
