On the heels of global Q3 2008 smartphone shipment data come the handset shipment data for North America in Q3 2008. Shipments grew 6 percent over the same quarter last year, exceeding 47 million units shipped. Carrier bundles, significant subsidies and preparation for the holiday season all contributed to the healthy numbers.
Motorola lost the lead it had held since 2004 to Samsung as its market share dropped 11.6 percent to 21.1 percent. Samsung saw its share rose to 22.4 percent. Motorola is also under threat from LG Electronics which now as a 20.5 percent market share.
Research In Motion recorded a second consecutive quarter of double digit growth and Apple is now ranked 6th in the U.S. market. Nokia, on the other hand, saw its U.S. market share drop to 8.4 percent.