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NPD finds featurephones account for 72% of new handset sales in the US

by Donald Melanson posted Aug 19th 2009 @ 9:53PM

Smartphone sales may be growing at a steady rate these days but, if NPD's latest numbers are any indication, it looks like they still have quite a ways to go before they become the norm among cellphone users. As the market research group found during its latest survey, less expensive featurephones accounted for an impressive 72% of all new handset sales in the US during the second quarter of the year, which is only a 5% drop even in the face of a 47% jump in smartphone sales (to 28% market share) over the same quarter last year -- a 14% jump in overall handset sales accounts for some of that discrepancy. According to NPD's numbers, the LG enV2 (pictured above) and Samsung Rant were among the best selling featurephones during the quarter, while the iPhone 3G and Blackberry Curve were the best selling smartphones. Other interesting tidbits include the fact that the average selling price for a phone rose 4% over the year to $87, and that WiFi capability is now found on 20% of new handsets, while 26% of new phones have touchscreens (compared to 35% with QWERTY keyboards).

iPhone 3G overtakes the RAZR as best-selling domestic handset

by Joshua Topolsky posted Nov 10th 2008 @ 10:15AM

According to a report from NPD, sales of cellphones have shifted in a manner which should shock and stun even a casual observer. Apparently for the first time in years, Motorola's ubiquitous RAZR has been overtaken in consumer sales... by the iPhone 3G. This is a watershed moment for handset sales in the US, marking not only a shift away from the dominant market leader, but a turn towards more complex, full-featured devices. The news comes hot on the heels of NPD's previous findings, which still placed the RAZR in the top spot -- though with ever-decreasing numbers. In that same report, the iPhone found itself in second place, but it appears that flagging interest in the inescapable dumbphone coupled with the recent iPhone PR blitz have put Apple's moneymaker into the top position. The news is also buoyed by recent reports that Apple has overtaken RIM as the number two smartphone vendor, and a J.D. Power study which found affection for the device waxing in the extreme. Overall, however, handset sales fell 15 percent year-over-year, and LG managed to snag the top brand position, with two models in the top five. Still, if there already wasn't a clear indication of the market moving towards both smartphones and touchscreen devices, this should give everyone a clearer picture of both the public's wants, and the power of Cupertino's ad-men. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading iPhone 3G overtakes the RAZR as best-selling domestic handset

RIM leads US smartphone sales, Apple ousts HTC for second

by Sean Cooper posted Sep 9th 2008 @ 11:35PM

Well here's a Shift, according to an NPD Group study, RIM sits atop the sales charts in the smartphone world and HTC doesn't even make the top five. During the period from January until July of 2008, 9 million sets were sold in the US for a cool $1.7 billion. Behind the mighty BlackBerry comes Apple's --the iPhone launch is being touted as the magic that helped ease them into second place -- followed by Palm, Samsung , and Motorola. The NPD Group goes on to mention that smartphone sales are up ten percent over the same period last year to 19 percent of all phones sold and that pricing is down seven percent to an average price of $185 per handset. Follow the read link for more tasty bits of number crunchery.

[Via Moconews]