Apple to Retain 33% of the Global Smartphone Market in 2013 [Report]

Strategy Analytics forecasts a 35% growth for Samsung this year, which means the South Korean manufacturer will increase its lead over Apple, driven by its broad product lineup, Reuters reports.


Interestingly, the iPhone mini rumour has surfaced again, now mentioned by the market research company as Apple’s reply to Samsung’s expansion. As we previously reported, Samsung is the most popular OEM in the US and Canada, driving the Android market share up, due to its broad product lines that meet demand from both high-end and low-end smartphone users.

Apple, returning the offensive, could roll out a smaller, cheaper “iPhone Mini” next year to grab market share by targeting demand from users of lower-end smartphones, Strategy Analytics said.
“We think Apple will have to launch an ‘iPhone Mini’ at some point over the next three years to address the hundreds of millions of prepaid users worldwide that cannot afford the current iPhone,” Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics said.

A cheaper iPhone (mini?) could be Apple’s only reply to boost the growth of its user base, since market share is so important for Tim Cook, because of software sales.

According to Strategy Analytics, global smartphone shipments will rise 27%, reaching 875 million this year, slowing down a bit compared to last year’s 41% growth. Of the total smartphone shipments, Samsung is expected to account for 290 million smart mobile handsets this year, up 35%, while Apple is projected to sell about 180 million iPhones, up 33% from 2012.

Yet none of these iPhones will be an iPhone mini, as the research company says we can expect it at some point within the next three years.

“We expect the iPhone Mini to be more likely next year, in 2014 when … Apple will be forced to discover fresh growth streams,” Mawston said.

However, as the comScore report already highlights, the two tech giants are the only ones growing, and their growth curve will surely move upwards this year as well.