SEOUL: South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co Ltd aims to triple smartphone shipments this year as the world's second-biggest cellphone maker scrambles to make a mark in the fast-growing smartphone market.
Following are some key facts about smartphone makers' latest business trends and outlook.
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is the world's biggest cellphone maker and also the leader in smartphones with a 39 per cent market share in 2009. But it had struggled previously against Apple's iPhone and RIM's Blackberry due to a lackustre smartphone portfolio. Nokia is trying to win back customers with simpler, cheaper models and halved its smartphone launch plans for 2010. It also launched free satellite navigation to boost smartphone sales. Popular Nokia phones include E71 and E72 messaging devices.
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the world's second-biggest in overall mobile phones, sold about 6 million smartphones in 2009 for 3 per cent of the global smartphone market. Samsung aims to at least triple smartphone volume this year and plans to offer phones running on Android, Windows Mobile, Linux as well as its own platform Bada. Samsung has opened its own software platform Bada to outside developers in an attempt to raise its position in smartphones.
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the world's No. 3 mobile phone maker, plans to beef up smartphone sales and unveil about 20 new models this year, with more than half running on Android. LG, which has a partnership with Microsoft Corp on smartphones, will also roll out new phones on Windows Mobile and LiMo's Linux. It has an ambitious target to achieve a double-digit share of the global smartphone market by 2012.
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The Blackberry maker has 20 per cent of the smartphone market based on its success with business professionals, and is cracking the consumer market. It is pushing into the mainstream market with retail-friendly, lower-profit models such as Curve. RIM is also expanding its international business beyond the stronghold North American market.
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The maker of iPhone, which became a consumer phenomenun and led the mobile industry to shift focus on software and applications, ranks No.3 in smartphones with a 14 per cent market share estimated at 174 million units last year. Apple is expanding into new markets such as China, though it lost market share to top players in the October-December quarter. Its latest iPhone, launched in June, competes against RIM's Blackberry and Palm's Pre.
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The US mobile phone maker is betting its future on smartphones based on Google's Android operating system after losing market shares and suffering losses in recent years. Motorola forecast shipments of 11 million-14 million smartphones this year and the devices would bring in more than 50 per cent of its handset unit revenue. Its Droid phone, championed by top US mobile service Verizon Wireless, helped Motorola post forecast-beating smartphone sales in the fourth quarter.
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is the world's No. 4 smartphone brand. As increasing competition and falling prices pressure its business, HTC plans to introduce lower-priced models to target developing markets such as China. HTC also manufactures Google's own-brand Nexus One smartphone.