Following his monthly look into the wireless industry Canaccord Genuity technology analyst Mike Walkley noted that Samsung and Apple “captured a remarkable 99% of Q1/12 handset industry profits. . . With RIM, Nokia, HTC, and Sony all in the midst of product transitions and Motorola Mobility merging with Google, we believe Apple and Samsung will maintain their dominant positions throughout 2012.”

Figure 2: Smartphone and feature phone unit sales and market share estimates by OEM (millions)

However, noting that while other companies may not take the lead, they are gaining significance, Mr. Walkley went on to say, “While we believe Apple and Samsung will maintain strong smartphone share during Q2/12, we believe new product offerings from OEMs such as Nokia, HTC, LG, and Huawei should result in these OEMs reclaiming modest share gains ahead of the Samsung Galaxy S III and iPhone 5 product refreshes.”