Samsung ships 52.1 million smartphones in Q2, doubles iPhone
Samsung's total second-quarter shipments dwarfed Apple's, according to new data from Juniper Research.The research firm reported today that during the second quarter, Samsung shipped 52.1 million smartphones worldwide, doubling Apple's 26 million tally. Samsung's shipments also easily outpaced RIM's BlackBerry, which could only muster 7.4 million shipments during the period. Nokia shipped 10.2 million smartphones worldwide, according to Juniper.But before we go too far with the Samsung-killing-Apple rhetoric, it's important to point out that the "shipments" Juniper is citing for the iPhone are actually sales. Shipments, on the other hand, do not necessarily mean that all devices are sold. In Apple's case, all of the so-called "shipments" by Juniper were actually sales.Still, it's hard to doubt Samsung in the mobile market. Over the last several quarters, the companies have been flip-flopping over which would take the lead. Back in the third quarter of 2011, Samsung nabbed the top spot with 23.6 million smartphones shipped. In the fourth quarter, Apple took the lead with 25 percent market share. In the first quarter, Samsung regained the crown.The success and competition between the companies have extended into the courtroom, as well. Both Samsung and Apple have charged the other with patent infringement in both smartphones and tablets. Both companies are vying to have their opponent's devices banned from sale. Whether one company will eventually secure a definitive victory, however, remains to be seen.According to Juniper, the worldwide smartphone market is growing quite rapidly. Last quarter, 132.9 million smartphones shipped, up from 105.2 million in the same period last year.
