The worldwide mobile phone market grew 65.4 percent year-over-year in the second quarter of 2011 (2Q11), according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. This marks the third consecutive quarter where total shipments exceeded 100 million units.
Vendors shipped 106.5 million units in 2Q11 compared to 64.4 million units in the second quarter of 2010. The 65.4 percent growth was on par with IDC's forecast of 67.3 percent for the quarter and below the 84.0 percent year-over-year growth in 1Q11.
For 2011, IDC maintains that the worldwide smartphone market will grow 55 percent over 2010. According to Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst with IDC's Mobile Phone Technology and Trends team, the first half of the year has demonstrated strong growth for the smartphone market, with Apple leading the pack. The second half of the year is expected to bring new flagship models and refreshed user experiences to market. These will keep smartphones well out in front of the market, and keep growth on an upward trajectory.
Apple's success can be directly attributed to its distribution (more than 200 carriers in more than 200 countries), increased manufacturing capacity, and solid demand within emerging and developed markets from both consumers and business users. The company's emergence as the number one smartphone vendor worldwide comes at a time when former worldwide leader Nokia is in the midst of a major transition. However, Apple has yet to top Nokia's single-quarter volume record of 28.1 million units. But given Apple's momentum in the smartphone market, it may not be a question of whether Apple will beat that milestone, but when, according to IDC.
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