DigiTimes Research analyst Luke Lin is forecasting that Apple will sell 86.4 million iPhones by the end of this year, crushing former market leader Nokia. In 2010, Nokia sold over 100 million smartphones -- more than double Apple's 47.5 million sold -- to lead the market. This year, however, looks like a different story, with Apple expected to climb 82 percent and grab the top spot, and Nokia projected to drop to second place with 74.4 million units sold.
Samsung looks strong in third place, with the highest projected shipment growth among the big five companies in 2011; Lin expects Samsung to ship 67 million units, up 44 percent from last year.
Overall, according to Lin's report, the world's top five smartphone companies in 2011 are projected to ship over 333 million units, which will account for 72 percent of all units expected to ship this year. This is down from 85 percent last year, as some smaller companies, like China-based Huawei and ZTE, look to be having monster years as well. Huawei in particular is expected to increase shipments in 2011 by over 400 percent.
Via DigiTimes
Adrian covers daily news as well as the weekly Law & Apple column for MacLife.com. You can follow him on Twitter, if you want to.
