The Register is reporting that an NPD survey of the US smartphone market in Q1 2009 has revealed that RIM's workhorse BlackBerry Curve outsold the exalted iPhone. Here's the Top 5 in order:
- RIM BlackBerry Curve
- Apple iPhone 3G
- RIM BlackBerry Storm
- RIM BlackBerry Pearl
- T-Mobile G1
This specific result & the fact that RIM jumped to ~50% share of the US smartphone market can be attributed to: 1) Verizon Wireless's Buy One, Get One promotion on BlackBerry devices during the Feb & Mar 2009; 2) iPhone sales cooling to 1.6mil units (down from 2.4 in Q4 2008) as the faithful eagerly await the announcement of the next model; 3) RIM's diverse, quality and still aspirational product line.
btw -- Palm has totally dropped off the map...that Pre can't come soon enough.
Another interesting data point in this NPD survey highlights a trend I've been tracking for months now...the transition of US consumers from "dumb phones" to smartphones. According to NPD the US handset market for smartphones jumped from 17% in Q1 2008 to 23% in Q1 2009...which is great news for those companies that provide mobile entertainment experiences for consumers. This trend will continue...if not quicken over the next year. Frankly, I think within 5years it's possible that the 12key mobile handset goes the way of the dodo.
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