Apple, just a year and a half into the smartphone business, now has a higher marketshare than Canadian giant Research in Motion, and is second place only to Nokia. Apple's 17.3% share is just barely beating out RIM's 15.2%, and of course is nowhere near Nokia's 38.9%, but it's just one more sign of how important the iPhone really is.


The iPhone 3G's launch throughout the rest of the world has had a huge effect on sales, and the phone has sold nearly 7 million since its July 11 debut. Apple's share of the entire cell phone market is now 2.3%, a pretty respectable number, and has pushed Microsoft's ailing Windows Mobile platform off the medal platform into 4th place.

Even Nokia has seen its share drop more than 12% from last year's 51.4%, though the Symbian maker is still holding strong with more than double Apple's share. What's great about Apple's new importance in the smartphone world is how it pushes the other manufacturers to bigger and better things. BlackBerry's new lineup looks great, and Nokia's 5800 XpressMusic is so hot all the pop stars want a piece of the action. [Ars Technica]