Samsung, Apple eat into RIM’s market share

Research In Motion Ltd.’s BlackBerry smartphone, which lost its No. 4 spot to Apple Inc. in the U.S. in the first half, fell further behind the iPhone maker and market leader Samsung Electronics Co. after new models failed to attract enough users.

RIM’s share of U.S. mobile-phone subscribers in the three months through November dropped to 6.5 percent from 7.1 percent in the previous quarter, research firm ComScore Inc. said. Samsung increased to 25.6 percent from 25.3 percent, and Apple consolidated its fourth place, gaining 1.4 percentage point to 11.2 percent.

The figures are the latest evidence that BlackBerry models RIM introduced this year with touch screens and upgraded browsers haven’t stopped customers opting instead for Apple’s iPhone and devices built on Google Inc.’s Android platform, for example the Samsung Galaxy S.

This month, Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM gave sales and profit forecasts that missed analysts’ estimates and said revenue fell 6 percent last quarter to $5.17 billion.

In the November quarter, LG Electronics Inc. lost 0.5 percentage point of U.S. share to finish second with 20.5 percent, Reston, Virginia-based ComScore said. Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc., the No. 3, saw its share drop 0.3 percentage point to 13.7 percent. RIM remained the last of the top five handset makers. 

(Bloomberg)