Apple Becomes Top Worldwide Smartphone Manufacturer

According to the Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, a report from IDC, Apple has become the largest smartphone manufacturer in the world. Accounting for all smartphone shipments, the worldwide mobile phone market grew 65.4 percent year over year in Q2 2011.

Total shipments exceeded 100 million units for the third consecutive quarter. All smartphone shipments totaled 106.5 million units, compared to 64.4 million in Q2 of 2010. In Q2, Apple smartphone shipments reached 20.3 million, up from 8.4 million for the same period the year before.

Apple shouldn't relax and think it owns the market just yet. "The smartphone market leadership change signifies the parity that comes with a fast-growing market such as smartphones," said Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC's Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker. "There is no runaway leader in the market, which means there could easily be further Top 5 vendor changes to come."

While the iPhone is available on two carriers in the U.S., the smartphone is available on more than 200 carriers in 200 countries worldwide. There are currently a handful of models on the market, and Apple has ramped up its distribution potential over the past few months. The report attributes Apple's gain to greater distribution, increased manufacturing capacity, and solid demand within emerging and developed markets, from both consumers and business users.

When one manufacturer rises in demand, another one recedes. Nokia consistently held the number one position for smartphones worldwide until this past quarter. Shipment volumes dropped below 20 million units for the first time since Q3 2009 for the company. Nokia shipments totaled 16.7 million units for Q2 2011. The company's Symbian operating system is showing age and the manufacturer continues to produce for the system even as it shifts to Windows 7-based mobile platforms.

The 106.5 million smartphone shipments are comprised of Apple (20.3 million); Samsung (17.3 million); Nokia (16.7 million); Research In Motion (12.4 million); HTC (11.7 million) and others (28.1 million). That offers a view into what operating systems the world mobile market uses. Take in some of these numbers with caution, however; Engadget suggests the numbers might be deceiving, as we've suggested with reports bundling in multiple devices in the past.