Planet Technology

Well, it's official - Q3 2008 saw Apple's only current smartphone, the iPhone 3G, outsell the numerous devices based on the Windows Mobile platform not only in USA but on worldwide scale. That's some surprising news, we bet Mr. Jobs is already throwing in a dinner party.

Despite the global financial crisis the smartphone market share is still growing (though at a slower pace than last year) and territories are being remapped. The third quarter of 2008 saw some really interesting changes in position.

Nokia is still king of the hill with 42.4% market share in Q3, but for the first time they have a decline in sales as compared to last year.

Windows Mobile has shamefully slipped behind Apple proving that sometimes it's not all about pumped up specs, but user experience and service integration count big time as well.

RIM's Blackberry devices are also growing in popularity having 81.7% more sales than last year's quarter. And they should do even better in Q4. Seems like the Bold and the Storm just might liven up the conservative facade of the brand.

Different OSes are changing market shares too. For the first time Symbian has fallen bellow 50% market share possibly because of the rise in popularity of touch-screen devices, which effectively lacked in the Nokia portfolio in Q3. Sony Ericsson's UIQ wasn't there to fill the gap either.

The now elederly WinMo will probably continue to suffer hard hits from the competition due to its inferior user-friendliness. The OS definitely needs a serious refresh and we really hope to see one soon.

But user-friendliness is only part of the game. The successful future of the smartphone platforms will also depend on building up better application portfolios, wider online services with easier and more intuitive access. AppStore or no AppStore, Apple's application business model is one fine example of delivering the right content straight to the device hassle-free.

Tags: Misc