The landscape of the mobile phone world is changing. For years there were certain manufacturers that held the top spots and the majority of the market share. However with the raise in the number of smart phone manufacturers out there as well as non-branded mobile phones coming out of China the landscape is sharply changing.
In recent years China has undergone a revolution in mobile phone terms, the rise of the ‘white box manufacturers’ mean that branded mobiles have been pushed out of the market in favour of non branded handsets and this is looking to sweep India, Russia, Africa and Latin America in the next few years.
In the rest of the world there has also been a move in the leader board for the mobile phone. In terms of market shares Nokia is looking to be leading the race with Samsung phones close on their heels. LG is clinging in a number 3 but its hold is looking shaky as Apple leapfrogged Research In Motion, the operating system behind the BlackBerry, to take number four in the listings.
With a 35% increase in the number of mobile phones sold worldwide last year almost all of the big name manufacturers lost out on increasing their market share, with the exception of Apple. The companies who gained from this increased uptake in the number of mobile phones sold were non branded manufacturers which make the handsets without a brand.
There is also a battle for market share in mobile phone operating systems. Google’s Android has seen a swift rise in its popularity by taking market shares from its more well-established rivals. Around 25% of all mobile phones sold had the Android operating system on them, taking market shares away from its rivals Microsoft Window Mobile and Apples iOS.
