Global converged mobile device market more than doubled that of the overall mobile phone market in the first quarter of 2010, showing signs that the segment is again in the high-growth mode, according to market research firm IDC.
According to IDC’s worldwide quarterly mobile phone tracker, vendors shipped a total of 54.7 million units in the first quarter of 2010, up 56.7% compared to 34.9 million for the same quarter a year ago. In contrast, overall mobile phone market grew 21.7% while converged mobile devices accounted for 18.8% of all mobile phones shipped, up from 14.4% in 1Q09.
According to the report, top five mobile device vendors were Nokia, Research In Motion, Apple, HTC and Motorola. Nokia reported shipments of 21.5 million for the first quarter of 2010, an increase of 56.9% compared to 13.7 million for the same period last year, accounting for 39.3% market share. RIM shipments rose by 45.2% to 10.6 million from 7.3 million for first quarter of 2009, helped by continued growth of its BlackBerry devices.
Apple more than doubled its shipments from a year ago, with more iPhones arriving outside its home territory of North America. Its shipments increased by 131.6% to 8.8 million for the first quarter of 2010, compared to 3.8 million for the same period last year, accounting for 16.1% of the market share.
HTC reported total shipments of 2.6 million, an increase of 73.3% compared to 1.5 million for the same period last year, driven primarily by its growing stable of Android-powered products including the Hero, Droid Eris, and MyTouch.
Motorola gained fifth spot with shipments increasing 91.7% to 2.3 million from 1.2 million for the same period last year. The company expects to launch 20 different models and ship 12–14 million Android smartphones this year.
Kevin Restivo, senior analyst with IDC Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker, said: “Higher smartphone sales this year will be a result of greater awareness, increasingly affordable data plans, and the global economic recovery.
“More consumers are aware of smartphones now due to positive referrals from friends and family and manufacturers mass media campaigns. Coupled with increased confidence on the part of consumers, these factors will create a perfect storm of demand for suppliers this year.”
