Bonny Joy, analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, “We estimate the Apple iPhone will account for 6.3 million of the 18.1 million touchscreen phones sold in the United States during January to December 2008, for an impressive 35 per cent marketshare. We expect the release of the heavily-subsidized 3G iPhone 2.0 on July 11 to catalyze a healthy spurt in touchscreen volumes during the second half of the year.” Neil Mawston, Director of Strategy Analytics, added, “Apple is in a strong position today but its rivals are not standing still. Samsung and LG already offer numerous, popular touchscreen models such as the Instinct and Voyager, while Blackberry and Nokia are scheduled to launch their own portfolios in the coming months with the Thunder and Tube. Clearly, the competition is rising fast and hanging on to that 35 per cent marketshare will be a major challenge for Apple in 2009.” Do you think it will be a challenge?
