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Can anyone destroy the might of iPhone and Galaxy? Half of all smarties are Apple and Samsung and the dymanic ‘duopoly’ controls 52% of the smartphone pie, between them.
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Currently, 91% of all smartphones are either running Apple iOS or Android leaving BlackBerry and Microsoft to scramble for the remains.
But “2013 will be the year of the rise of the third ecosystem as the battle between the new BlackBerry10 and Widows Phone intensifies,” predicts Gartner analyst Anshul Gupta.
However, Samsung is still the No. 1 maker of smart and dumb phones – ahead of former smartie leader Apple, according to new figures from Gartner.
For now, there is “no manufacturer that can firmly lay claim to the No. 3 spot in global smartphone sales,” warns Gupta due to the sheer might of the Apple and Samsung duopoly.
Samsung is the smartphone beast within – and grew a whopping 85% selling 64.5 million smartphones in the fourth quarter alone, Gartner figures confirm.
In 2012, Samsung sold a total of 384.6 m mobiles, with more than half (53.5%) of them smartphones – up from 28%. However, overall, mobile phone sales fell 1.7% to 1.75 billion, globally, last year.
The Apple Dilemma
Apple sold a massive 43.5 million iPhones in the fourth quarter and flogged a massive 130 million last year.
Surprisingly, consumers favoured the less expensive iPhone 4 and 4S models over i5.
The iPad Mini also created a dilemma for some users when deciding if to upgrade an iPhone 4 / 5, or buy the new tablet.
And good luck to any make that thinks they can outrun the mighty Apple and Samsung duopoly, as it’s all about brand, says Gupta
“The success of Apple and Samsung is based on the strength of their brands as much as their actual products.”
“Their direct competitors…struggle to achieve the same brand appreciation among consumers, who, in a tough economic environment, go for cheaper products over brand.”
However, rising Chinese star Huawei had a phenomenal fourth quarter- growing 75% percent and managed to nab the No. 3 spot in the smartphone charts. The company sold 27.2 m smartphones, are making a major smartphone push into the Aussie market this year.
Android darling Samsung (it sells 42% of ‘Droid devices) is also facing intense competition among Android vendor Sony as well as Nokia, Gartner analysts predict.
Nokia is still No. 2 mobile maker and sales improved due to its Asha phones and Lumia Windows Phone 8 but its share the lowest it has ever been, says Gartner. In 2012, Nokia sold 39.3 m smartphones, down more than 50% percent, and it needs to adds more apps and devices to its ecosystem.
LG, Motorola, ZTE and TCL all appear in Gartner’s top 10 mobile phone ranking.
Android, Android
And as Samsung’s star power rises, so too does Google’s Android OS, which captured 70% all smartphone OSs, compared to Apple’s iOS’ 21% share.
Android grew a whopping 87.8 percent in the fourth quarter.
“As carriers and vendors feel the pressure of the strong Android’s growth, alternative operating systems such as Tizen, Firefox, Ubuntu and Jolla will try and carve out an opportunity by positioning themselves as profitable alternatives,” warns Gupta .
As the smartphone invasion continues, Gartner analysts expect feature or dumb phones demand fall in 2013, and fell almost 20% in 2012 alone.
There will be close to 1 billion smartphones sold by end of 2013, and there was 207 million bought in q4 last (a 38% rise, so its still all to play for.)
