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Canalys’ latest worldwide estimates of mobile device shipments reveal that Samsung dominated the market once again, growing its volume by 64.3 per cent since last year.
In contrast, Apple saw a modest annual growth of 6.7 per cent in its smartphone shipments, the lowest level since the launch of the original iPhone back in 2007.
"Despite its slowing growth, Apple still shipped over 37 million iPhones," said Pete Cunningham, Canalys’ principal analyst. "But HTC and Samsung have raised the bar with their latest handsets and Apple needs to respond with its next iPhone.
“The iPhone user interface is now six years old and badly in need of a refresh. Hardware-wise, the biggest dilemma that Apple faces is what it does with the size of the display on the next iPhone. It cannot afford to ignore the trend for larger displays in premium smartphones. We expect an increase on the iPhone 5’s 4-inch display but are not anticipating a phablet-style iPhone."
Canalys’ latest estimates reveal Android accounted for 75.6 per cent of all smartphones shipped during Q1 2013.
Smartphone shipments came in at just over 216.3 million for the quarter, with total mobile devices (notebooks, tablets and smartphones) hitting 308.7 million units.
