There"s been a lot of talk about how the launch of the Windows Phone-based Lumia smartphones from Nokia have been a disappointment so far. That was until last week when the company said it sold four million Lumia devices.
Now a new study claims that the Lumia launch may not be as challenging as some might expect. In a press release from Strategy Analytics, the research firm states that the first three quarters of the Lumia smartphone launch have actually exceeded the shipment numbers of Apple"s iPhone in its first three quarters.
The press release quotes Neil Shah, a senior analyst at Strategy Analytics, as saying that, according to their estimates, Nokia shipped 6.9 million Lumia devices for its first three quarters. He adds:
This compares with 3.7 million units of the rival Apple iPhone family in its first three quarters during 2007, and 1.3 million units for the Samsung Android family in its first three quarters during 2009. It is an encouraging start for Nokia and Microsoft.
While those numbers may indeed be true, we should also keep in mind that the smartphone market is a lot larger in 2012 compared to 2007, when Apple first launched the iPhone. The press release also points out that Apple will likely launch the next iPhone later this fall and adds, "Nokia will need to pull something impressive out of the bag for the next-generation Windows Phone 8 launch later this year to sustain its tentative early momentum."
Richard Kerris has already said that the company has some great products ahead this Fall and especially this Spring. While the smartphone market is competitive, Nokia has a shot at turning the ship around if it can get the right products out at the right time.
Source: Strategy Analytics press release