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Analyst firm IDC has reported that Apple is the leading mobile brand in Australia following a 13 per cent increase in iPhone shipments in Q1 of 2011.
Apple holds nearly 40 per cent of shipments in the smartphone-only segment and nearly a third of the mobile market as a whole, of which smartphones account for 79 per cent of all devices shipped. The biggest downturn in the same period was felt by former leader Nokia, with the feature phone market shrinking and its Symbian platform losing 9.5 per cent market share in Q1.
“We expected Symbian to decline steadily throughout 2011; however, the pace of decline has exceeded all expectations, with the majority of would-be Symbian buyers heading to Apple,” said IDC telecommunications analyst, Mark Novosel.
However, the lead of Apple’s iOS platform may be short-lived, with IDC reaffirming its prediction that the Android smartphone and tablet platform would overtake iOS during 2011. This would follow a weak Q3 for the iPhone as Apple prepares to ship its next-generation device, according to IDC analysts. Next to iPhone’s 40 per cent market share, Android holds 30 per cent while Nokia’s Symbian drops to 22 per cent.
IDC expects growth for Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform once Nokia begins shipping its devices under the partnership between the two companies, but this will not have an effect on the market until next year.
