Worldwide smartphone sales slow in Q3

Worldwide smartphone market sales totaled 36.5 million units during the third quarter of 2008 according to market research firm Gartner, which called the 11.5 percent jump over Q3 2007 totals the "weakest year-on-year growth since [the company] began tracking the industry." Nokia retained its overall smartphone lead with 42.4 percent market share in Q3, but for the first time it suffered a sales decline of 3 percent year-over-year, moving 15.4 million units. Research In Motion captured second place with sales of 5.8 million and now boasts market share of 15.9 percent, an increase of 81.7 percent over the third quarter of 2007. Apple followed in third with iPhone sales of 4.7 million to claim 12.9 percent of the global smartphone market, a 327.5 percent leap over a year earlier. HTC came in fourth with sales of 1.6 million, translating to a 4.5 percent market share and 25.9 percent year-over-year growth, and Sharp placed fifth with sales of 1.2 million (3.4 percent market share and a 19.3 dropoff ... (link)