The whole world is probably waiting for the release of the next generation Apple phone, the iPhone 5. While the next iPhone may have several benefits for the individual user, a study has revealed that the global mobile market would immensely benefit from its release. According to a study by Gartner, the sales of the mobile market in the first quarter this year have reduced by 2% over the first quarter in 2011. However, the study also reveals that this trend could change in the coming quarters, when the iPhone 5 is expected to be launched.
Mobile phone sales in Q1
The Gartner report revealed that the sales of mobile phones across the world reached 419.1 million euros, which is a decline of around 2% from the sales figure in Q1 2011. When compared to last year, the market share of companies like Nokia, RIM, Motorola, HTC and LG had declined more than estimated. According to Anshul Gupta, analyst at Gartner, this was because of a drop in demand from Asia Pacific regions.
According to Gupta, the first quarter is often the strongest in Asia, as sales are driven because of the Chinese new year. This year, the story was different and sales were down, mostly as there were no new launches from leading mobile manufacturers during the period. Apple was the only company that had managed to grow in terms of sales, recording a growth rate of over 96% in Q1 2012, thanks to the success of the iPhone 4S. Over 5 million pieces of the iPhone 4S were sold in China during the period, making it the second largest market for Apple products. The US is the leading consumer of all Apple products, including the iPhone 4S.
On the whole, Samsung was the leader in the mobile market, selling 85,567.6 million pieces and Nokia was the second with sales of 83,162.5 million units. Apple was the third largest seller of mobile phones, and yet managed to be the only one to make a significant profit in the first quarter this year.
Apple to continue the growth trend
Unlike most other mobile phone manufacturers, Apple had managed to make profits in the first quarter of 2012 and will most likely continue the trend in the second half of the year, should it launch the iPhone 5 as speculated. The Apple iOS market share increased from 16.9% in 2011 to 22.9% in 2012. The launch of the iPhone 5 in the second half of the year is likely to boost the mobile markets in Europe as well as North America, according to the Gartner report. The sales in China are also expected to increase significantly.
Among the reasons for this possible increase in sales is that many people are holding their mobile purchases, in anticipation of the iPhone 5 release in the second half of this year. The improved features, especially the sleek design and the 4-inch screen, have made the handset highly appealing to many people, who would rather wait and buy the iPhone 5 than buy one of the many available phones in the market today.
