Apple Will Soon Overtake RIM in Consumer Smartphone Market
A new report by ChangeWave Research provides yet more evidence of the surge in consumer interest in smartphones; and of Apple's iPhone in particular. Last week we reported statistics from AdMob stating that smartphones are now edging out feature phones as the device of choice for consumers. In the race for the highly lucrative consumer smartphone market, blackberry devices still hold the lead over iPhone - but ChangeWave's data shows that the gap is rapidly closing.
We predict that it won't be long until Apple overtakes RIM as the leader in this hotly contested (and vitally important, in context of the Web's shift from PC to phones) market.
RIM's market share is creeping down, while Apple's surges up. ChangeWave puts RIM at 40% of market share, but Apple is now just 10% points behind at 30%. This was mainly due to the iPhone 3GS release, which saw Apple gain 5% since June. Meanwhile Palm's fortunes continue to sag - they're at a dismal 7% according to this report.
39% of the 4,255 people polled by ChangeWave Research said that they own a smartphone. This is an increase of 2% since June and nearly double the level of two years ago. 11.6% now say they plan on buying a smartphone in the next 90 days.
AdMob's report was particularly bullish on Apple, reporting that iPhone traffic now accounts for nearly half (48%) of all smartphone requests in the United States. The ChangeWave report adds some much-needed context into smartphone statistics, by reporting that RIM - the makers of the blackberry - remains the market leader in terms of number of devices.
More people are undoubtedly using the iPhone to surf the Mobile Web, but more people still own a blackberry device.
Perhaps the most telling statistic in the ChangeWave report, also happens to be the most qualitative. 74% of the iPhone owners that ChangeWave polled reported that they're "Very Satisfied" with their iPhone. Less than half of RIM device owners said that.
Given what these latest AdMob and ChangeWave reports found, it's clear that smartphones are poised to hit the mainstream in a big way in 2010 and beyond.
AdMob had reported that of the top 10 mobile phones in the US currently, half are touchscreen, 6 have Wi-Fi capability and 6 have mobile app stores. Apple's iPhone led the way on all of those fronts. Android, RIM and the likes of Nokia are all putting out similar smartphone devices now.
RIM still holds sway over the workplace, but Apple definitely has the momentum in the consumer market.
Photo credit: Andy Mihail
Share
Facebook
Comments
Subscribe to comments for this post OR Subscribe to comments for all ReadWriteWeb posts
from AdMob: "measure of mobile data usage and does not represent the traditional view of market share based on the number of handsets sold." This is merely a reflection of directional trends in the broader market, it is of September 2009, before Android's big push. iPhone should not be included in the smartphone category. The iPhone is an overhyped locked-down, non-multitasking featurephone, whose Apple-approved apps you can only get from the Apple App Store. A smartphone, for example, the Samsung Omnia i910 running Windows Mobile, you can tether your laptop, runs Flash, runs different apps at the same time, and you can get apps for it from different sites in the internet without Microsoft's approval of the app.
Don't Give Me Percentages - give me NUMBERS.
There are 55 million iPhone OS devices out there - slightly less than half are iPod touch. RIM had 25 million subscribers just before they started their "Buy One; Get One Free" deal at the start of the summer - which is why their marketshare didn't falter but their profits went down the U-bend.
By the numbers I can find - iPhone has already overtaken RIM and that doesn't count
A. iPod touch
B. The number of people for whom Blackberry is a shackle to work and not actively used
C. The number of "Get One Free" people who use it as a complex phone/SMS device.
The Apple iPhone is an Internet and multimedia enabled smartphone designed and marketed by Apple Inc.. The iPhone functions as a camera phone (also including text messaging and visual voicemail), a portable media player (equivalent to a video iPod), and an Internet client (with email, web browsing, and Wi-Fi connectivity) — using the phone's multi-touch screen to render a virtual keyboard in lieu of a physical keyboard. Some would look for a money lenders just to get this latest iphone.
Read the article.
"The survey of 4,255 consumers" Not a very large number to survey.
Nice chart, but means nothing.
The iphone is no doubt a great success, I just think this report is crap.
My 3 year old LG Rumor still serves my needs just fine, I have a netbook for everything else.
"Meanwhile Palm's fortunes continue to sag - they're at a dismal 7% according to this report."
That may be true and just shows how one's fortunes can change overnight.
I used to have a Treo and it was a fine device, kinda big though and the stylus was a pain at times.
I am not sold on the PRE yet.
I've always needed a smart phone for business and am currently stuck with a Treo. I can't wait for Verizon to start carrying the Iphone because I will definitely switch like so many other consumers.
I'd be curious to see how ATT's exclusive deal with Apple has bolstered their sales and market share.
Palm Pre does what the iPhone wishes it could. Pre is a great device with great Web OS.