Mobile market grows more than 60 per cent year on year

The worldwide mobile phone market has increased by almost 65 per cent on this time last year, with Apple's iPhone the most dominant model.Research from IDC shows there has been a 65.4 per cent increase year on year, with vendors shipping 106.5 million units in 2011's second quarter compared with 64.4 million units in the second quarter last year. Apple is leading competition in the market, owing to its strong distribution mechanism. It has more than 200 carriers in more than 200 countries, and has increased manufacturing capacity. There is also solid demand within emerging and developed markets from both consumers and business users, according to IDC.Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst for IDC's Mobile Phone Technology and Trends team, said: "Ever since the first iPhone launched in 2007, Apple has made strides in hardware, software, and channel development. Demand has been so strong that even models that have been out for one or two years are still selling well."With an expected refresh later this year, volumes are set to grow further."Overall, IDC predicts that the worldwide smartphone market will grow 55 per cent throughout 2011 over 2010.

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