WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.
Investment bank Nomura claims that Samsung will become the world’s leading smartphone vendor this quarter, taking a 15-year crown from Finland’s Nokia. Citing data from Nomura, Reuters also reports that in the next quarter Nokia will also lose the number two spot to Apple.
"Nokia looks set to relinquish its smartphone crown to Samsung and Apple," Nomura analysts said in a research note, according to Reuters. "Further emphasising the shift in power to Asia is our forecast for HTC to almost match Nokia during 2012."
Although research firms such as IDC, Canalys and Gartner have predicted falling share for Nokia in the smartphone space over the next few quarters, Nomura’s reported prediction is the most damning for the Finnish company.
Nokia has undergone a major shift in strategy in recent months, moving from Symbian to Windows Phone as its primary smartphone software system.
On May 31 Nokia abandoned hope of meeting key targets just weeks after setting them, raising questions over whether its new boss Stephen Elop can deliver on the turnaround he promised.
Despite the negative forecasts, Nokia remains the world’s largest mobile handset manufacturer due to its strong position in basic devices and its wider distribution network in emerging countries.
