New figures from IDC show iPhone shipments rose by 13% in the first quarter of 2011, despite falling by 5% in the overall year in Australia.
The figures mean that Apple has now become “the top mobile device vendor in Australia”, IDC says, with nearly one-third market share.
“Nokia suffered a double whammy, the feature phone market collapsed, with 79% of new mobiles shipped now being smartphones. Meanwhile, Symbian took a huge tumble, as consumers shy away from the platform ahead of Nokia’s transition to Windows Phone,” IDC analyst Mark Novosel, said in a statement.
The firm says Symbian lost 9.5% share in the quarter, double the expected fall, while Apple now holds close to 40% of the Australian smartphone market. Android controls nearly 30% of the market.
“Android remains on track to become the most popular smartphone OS in Australia this year, although Apple is doing its best to delay Android from reaching this milestone. The weakness in Symbian and slow initial growth of Windows Phone are providing a stimulus for iOS and Android, which will battle head to head for the top spot in 2011,” Novosel adds.
However, IDC predicts demand for Apple is expected to fall in anticipation for the next model.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
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