HTC Takes Lead in U.S. Smartphone Market as Apple, RIM Decline
By Tim Culpan and Hugo Miller - Nov 1, 2011
HTC Corp. (2498) edged out Samsung Electronics Co. to become the largest smartphone vendor in the U.S., capitalizing on the Android platform’s popularity and a lull in demand for iPhones to overtake Apple Inc. (AAPL) and Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM)
A 10 percentage-point jump in share from a year earlier gave Taoyuan, Taiwan-based HTC 24 percent of the world’s largest smartphone market in the third quarter, ahead of Samsung’s 21 percent, Palo Alto, California-based researcher Canalys said in a statement yesterday. Apple fell to third at 20 percent while RIM, maker of the BlackBerry, had 9 percent.
HTC, which made the world’s first phone using Google Inc.’s Android in 2008, benefited from strong relationships with U.S. carriers and made different models for each operator. Apple’s iPhone 4S and new devices from Suwon, South Korea-based Samsung may help the two global smartphone leaders gain share in the U.S. this quarter as HTC forecasts its first shipment decline in almost two years.
“Because iPhone 4S wasn’t yet ready during the quarter, there was a window of opportunity for others, and HTC benefited from this,” said Wang Wanli, who rates the stock “buy” at RBS Asia Ltd. in Taipei. “HTC has historically done more customization of handsets, which has made operators more willing to market and sell their devices.”
bloomberg.com |
