ABI Research Finds Nokia Leading Smartphone Market with 56%, While Symbian’s Share of OS Market Is Set to Fall

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--According to the latest research on smartphone markets from ABI Research, Nokia has maintained its leadership position with a 56.4% share of the 70.9 million units shipped in 2006. Nokia sold 40 million smartphones in 2006, compared to 28.5 million in 2005. Motorola also had a strong 2006 and occupied the second position with 8.5% market share, driven by the success of its Linux-based devices in China, most notably the MING. At the same time, Symbian’s strong position in the smartphone operating system market is under continued and increasing threat.

“The key in differentiating smartphone products still lies in the physical design, and the look and feel of the user interface. The right combination of size, form factor, operating system, and bundled applications will determine the success of a smartphone.”

According to mobile wireless research analyst Shailendra Pandey, “The key in differentiating smartphone products still lies in the physical design, and the look and feel of the user interface. The right combination of size, form factor, operating system, and bundled applications will determine the success of a smartphone.” In addition to the usual features, consumers are now increasingly seeking smartphones that have touch screens, MP3 players, Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth, fast processors, and lots of memory as well as an expansion card slot.

ABI Research’s new report, “Smartphones and the OS Market” found that there is a growing need to save on software bill of materials as handset ASPs continue to spiral downwards. This trend has been highlighted by Symbian’s decision to lower its license fees, and by an increasing interest in Linux. Research director Stuart Carlaw remarks that, “It is not a question of ‘if’ but ‘when’ Linux will have an impact upon this market. In 2006, Symbian was estimated to have a 73% share of the smartphone OS market, yet our forecast is that it will to fall to 46% by 2012, due to strong competition coming most notably from Linux, but also from Windows Mobile.”

Smartphones and the OS Market (http://www.abiresearch.com/products/market_research/Smartphones) investigates the key drivers, barriers, and latest trends influencing the market for smartphones, identifying the high-level business and technology issues and critical considerations for addressing the smartphone market. It is a component of the company’s Mobile Devices Research Service (http://www.abiresearch.com/products/service/Mobile_Devices_Research_S ervice), which includes other Research Reports, Research Briefs, Market Data, Online Databases, ABI Insights, and analyst inquiry support. (Due to its length, the URL above may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.)

Founded in 1990 and headquartered in New York, ABI Research maintains global operations supporting annual research programs, intelligence services and market reports in broadband and multimedia, RFID & contactless, M2M, wireless connectivity, mobile wireless, transportation, and emerging technologies. For information visit www.abiresearch.com, or call +1.516.624.2500.