The device hadn’t been out for six months by the end of 2007, but Apple’s iPhone has moved into the No. 2 spot in the U.S. smartphone landscape. Of course, that’s by platform, really. From what I’m reading, it seems like the iPhone could be the single most used smartphone in the U.S. However, the competition here is Research In Motion, which offers a number of BlackBerry smartphones, and Windows Mobile phones, which covers a whole slew of devices. The iPhone covers 28 percent of the smartphone market, ahead of Windows Mobile at 21 percent, but behind RIM at 41 percent.
But when we take this globally, it’s a manufacturer race, and Apple is No. 3. They’re behind Nokia, which has an astonishing 52.9 percent of the market, and RIM at 11.4 percent. Motorola, having just lost its No. 2 spot in the U.S. to Samsung, lost its No. 3 spot to Apple.
Apple has a real opportunity here. They’re seeing how much buzz they’re creating. So can we expect a big year for the iPhone?
We certainly could. There have been rumors both of a second-gen iPhone, and of Apple severing its exclusive tie to AT&T. These moves would be a veritable coup for Apple. If they could get out a second-gen GSM model that ran on 3G and a CDMA model, they just might beat out RIM in 2008.
This, of course, amounts to wishful thinking at this point. It will surely cost Apple million to break exclusive ties with AT&T, and getting out a CDMA version of the phone is going to take some time. But the opportunity is there.
2 comments… read them below or add one
I love the iPhone but don’t yet have one because I’m not ready to cut the ties with Verizon. The sooner Apple cuts its exclusivity with AT&T, the better, in my opinion. Thanks for the post!
Yeah, I’m totally content to play with my friends’ iPhones until the second gen models come out.