U.S. mobile phone market seemingly unaffected by low consumer confidence. Image: GaetanLee/Flickr.
The United States may be languishing in a state of consumer doubt when it comes to spending as markets struggle to maintain confidence, but new quarterly figures released by Strategy Analytics (SA) have this week revealed that the mobile phone industry is certainly managing to keep its head above water.
More pointedly, independent consultancy specialist Strategic Analytics has said that the U.S. mobile phone market has pushed forward with a 5.3 percent increase in unit shipping throughout the second quarter of 2008.
The Santa Fe-based company also notes that several mobile phone manufacturers have successfully evaded the country’s apparently weak economy and posted Q2 results that largely exceed expectations.
Performance figures from April through to the close of June show that 41.9 million mobile phone devices were shipped across the United States, which is clear plus when compared to the 39.8 million shipped during the same period in 2007.
In terms of identifying the continued “replacement” appeal of mobile phones in the supposedly sagging U.S. market, SA analyst Bonny Joy points to the consumer attraction of all-inclusive carrier deals and the year’s steady stream of tempting new handsets.
Against market expectations, American mobile phone giant Motorola Inc. managed to maintain its majority share during Q2, with the Illinois-based manufacturer holding a 26 percent stake despite posting a companywide loss of some $346 million USD for the quarter.
In a market sullied by an estimated saturation of 80 percent, Korean consumer electronics company LG returned to second on the U.S. market-share countdown after selling 16.8 million phones during the first half of 2008. The Seoul-based outfit expects to secure 22 percent of the regional mobile phone pie by the close of 2008.
Notably, Ontario-based BlackBerry creator RIM (Research in Motion) notched up a double-digit share (10 percent) for the very first time in the U.S. market as a reflection of its highly-desirable and ever-expanding product portfolio of consumer and enterprise handsets.
Other surprise performers were global leader Nokia Corp., which reported substantial quarterly gains, and Samsung Electronics, which claimed a mobile phone profit leap of some 51 percent in Q2.
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