The sales of smartphones fell in the third quarter, reporting its weakest year-on-year growth since Gartner began tracking the industry, the research firm said today. Worldwide smartphone sales to consumers totaled 36.5 million units in the third quarter, an 11.5 percent increase from the same period in 2007. Going forward, the smartphone market is still expected to grow, but at a much slower pace as the downturn hurts consumer demand. The report shows the competition stepping up on Nokia (NYSE: NOK), the current leader in smartphone sales, with both RIM (NSDQ: RIMM) and Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) stealing market share. Nokia was also hurt by its lack of a touchscreen device, with principal analyst Roberta Cozza calling it “unfortunate” that Nokia’s recently announced N97 flagship phone won’t reach stores until the first half of next year, as the device “is a competitive product in today’s market.”
Other Highlights:
— For the first time, Nokia
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