Sales of smartphones increased 58% in China.
Nokia led the Chinese market for smartphones in the period.
China overtook the U.S. as the largest global smartphone market by volume in the third quarter, according to research firm Strategy Analytics. smartphone shipments grew 58% and reached a record 23.9 million units in China in the period. In the U.S., sales fell 7% from the previous quarter to 23.3 million units, according to research. The Nokia led the Chinese market for smartphones in the third quarter, with 28% share, while the HTC led the U.S. with 24%, 20.6% in front of the Apple .
The strong growth in China is due to the subsidies offered by operators that offer mobile phones at low prices to entice users to sign long term contracts, and also the popularity of the iPhone and phones produced by Chinese manufacturers like ZTE and equipped with Android software from Google . New iPhone , however, the Chinese leadership may not last long, according to Strategy Analytics. The demand for smartphones in the U.S. was weak because many users were waiting for the release of new version of the iPhone. As a result, China can register leadership minor or even lose the top spot in the current quarter, according to Linda Sui, an analyst at Strategy Analytics . “Whether China will be able to maintain the first position depends on the U.S. market,” said Sui. “It depends, in practice, the demand for iPhone in the U.S..”
