According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics (http://www.strategyanalytics.com), global smartphone shipments grew an impressive 78% annually to reach a record 77 million units in the third quarter of 2010, Apple was the star performer, as it overtook RIM and closed the gap on Nokia.

“Global smartphone shipments grew an impressive 78% annually to reach a record 77 million units in Q3 2010,” says Tom Kang, director at Strategy Analytics. “Apple was the star performer during the quarter, as it captured a record 18% marketshare, overtook RIM and closed the gap on Nokia.”

Neil Mawston, Director at Strategy Analytics, adds: “Global smartphone shipments grew 78% from a year earlier, the industry’s fastest rate since the mid-2000s. However, the surging volumes are placing heavy demands on component suppliers and moderate shortages of select components are emerging ahead of the the holiday season.”

Other findings from the research include:
° Nokia shipped record smartphone volumes of more than 26 million units, but this was not sufficient to prevent its global marketshare dipping to a low of 34%;

° RIM continues to be hampered by a limited presence in the high-growth touchscreen segment and consequently its global smartphone marketshare has edged down from 20% to 16% during the past 12 months.