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Could Apple ever outsell Nokia?
By Mike Browne on July 10,
 2009 at 00:00,

Are Nokia's days has top smartphone seller numbered? If the latest data from analyst firm Generator Research is to be believed then Nokia has until 2013 before Apple over takes them in terms of sales. However, is there any truth in this or is it merely wishful thinking and a bit of judicious marketing money seeing which way the wind blows? Join us after the jump for the facts and figures...

Generator Research, a data research company, claims that Nokia's market share will drop from 40 per cent – it's current level – to as little as 20 per cent by 2013. At the same time, Apple market share is expected to rise to 33 per cent.

A quick look at the Generator Research website shows that one of its customers is Apple, so we know which way the wind blows on that score. Then there is the fact that Apple still only has one device and seems loath to expand. So, when has a one-size fits all approach ever become truly dominant?

Mark Loughran, Nokia UK Managing Director, pointed out recently, ‘The new iPhone is an evolution rather than a revolution. [It] seems to have the same design and colour, upgrading from a sub-standard 2-Megapixel camera to a still low 3.2-Megapixel camera and is probably a disappointment for many people given the high tariff and lifetime ownership costs.'

At the same time, Nokia is offering an increasingly wide variety of devices that tap directly into the needs of a far wider user base. We've seen amazing results with the Nokia 5800 outselling the Apple iPhone 3G in Carphone Warehouse, the Nokia N97 hasn't even started to be fully exploited yet and we still haven't seen the release of the Nokia 5530 XpressMusic yet, nor the newly announced Nokia 3720 Classic. Nokia will constantly be updating and releasing new handsets, each one meeting the needs of users.

So, can we trust the research? 2013 is a long way off and if we're pairing the future with the current state of play, then Apple will still only have one device and Nokia will have multiple devices to suit all needs. So, while only time will reveal market, the analysts numbers simply don't add up and the only numbers we have faith in are those that come with an 'N' in front of them!

Tags: Apple Generator Research Nokia
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  • Marco A

    I think in total handset sales Apple will never beat Nokia, due to Nokia\\\’s wide range of phones from budget models to high end smart phones, which pretty much cater for everybody. But if we look at smart phone sales only then I think its going to happen, without doubt. I think a lot of the fault lies with the under whelming smart phones Nokia have been making for the last 2 years, rather than Apple being anything special, I was really up for getting the N97 but I found the phone quite disappointing when I started using it, there isn\\\’t much value in there, its not even the best symbian s60 5th edition handset, that has to be the Samsung OmniaHD which has pretty much everything that the N97 lacks, great processor, amazing camera, capacative touch with amoled display, quality materials.

    I think the N97 is a decent phone, but for such a price, we should expect more than \\"decent\\". I think Nokia need to take a serious look phones made by HTC/Apple/Samsung hell even the Palm Pre, they make phones in a similar price range to the N97, but I think they\\\’ve all raced forward whereas Nokia are limping along