A recent report casts a dark shadow on one of the
pioneer’s of smartphone technology. BlackBerry’s share of the world smartphone
market just keeps falling while in the fourth quarter while sales of iPhones
and phones running Google’s Android system soared
Delays in introducing its new BB10 operating system
are partly to blame, the report said.
BlackBerry’s share of the smartphone market has seen a
fall from double digits just one year ago, to less than 8 percent in the fourth
quarter of 2011. That lands the market pioneer BlackBerry in fourth spot,
behind Android, Apple’s iOS, and the Symbian system used by Nokia.
Even if BB10 is a good operating system, it won’t be a
panacea all on its own, according to the report: When it’s finally available,
RIM still needs to encourage the development of more mobile BlackBerry apps
from outside developers.
Android powered into first place, rising from a 30.5
per cent share a year ago to 50.9 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2011,
driven largely by sales of phones made by Samsung. Likewise, Apple’s iOS, used
in the company’s iPhones, rose significantly, grabbing 23.8 per cent, almost a
quarter of the smart phone market.
Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 is expected to hit the
market later this year, and could boost the company from its current sixth
place spot in the operating system market, said de la Vergne, especially if
BB10 isn’t out yet.
In the mobile phone manufacturer’s race, meanwhile,
RIM slipped to seventh place, with just 2.8 per share of the global market.
Nokia was still in first place, with 23.4 per cent of the market, ahead of Samsung’s
19.4 per cent. That segment includes all mobile phones, rather than focusing on
the more lucrative smart phone segment.
To stay
up-to-date with the declining Blackberry, checkout our favorite site for all
things RIM and Blackberry, Crackberry.com
