Forecast: iPhone Will Grab Third Of Market

By Staff On Jul 21 2008 - 6:00am

Apple's iPhone will take 35 percent share of the U.S. market for touchscreen-equipped cellphones in 2008, according to a Strategy Analytics forecast. The gain will be fueled in large part by sales of the new and subsidized iPhone 3G.

Apple will account for 6.3 million of the forecast 18.1 million touchscreen phones sold during the year, the research company said.

Whether Apple's share will remain that big isn't certain. "Apple is in a strong position today, but its rivals are not standing still," said director Neil Mawston. "Samsung and LG already offer numerous popular touchscreen models, while BlackBerry and Nokia are scheduled to launch their own portfolios in the coming months with the Thunder and Tube."

Touchscreen phones include PDA phones and multimedia-oriented phones.