Nokia has dominated the smartphone market in terms of sheer production and units shipped since 1996, but Samsung and Apple are set to overtake the Finnish manufacturer soon. Investment banking firm Nomura has said that Samsung is poised to overtake Nokia this quarter, and that Apple may rise to second place which will set Nokia at number three in the world.
Reuters reports:
“Nokia looks set to relinquish its smartphone crown to Samsung and Apple,” Nomura analysts said in a research note. “Further emphasizing the shift in power to Asia is our forecast for HTC to almost match Nokia during 2012.”
Samsung exploded last year with the introduction of its Galaxy S series of smartphones and tablets, and is showing no signs of slowing this year. There are also rumors that the Korean manufacturer may be considering purchasing Nokia, though the rumors seem to be weak speculation.
Apple has also seen tremendous gains and shows consistent market performance every single quarter. Though it only has one smartphone, the iPhone, its profits seem to dwarf those of other smartphone manufacturers combined.
Nokia’s only hope is its partnership with Microsoft and the introduction of Windows Phone 7 devices and handsets, which we are expecting to see in late Q2 2011.
[Via: Reuters]