Three months after taking the lead in PC shipments, China has passed the U.S. as the world's top smartphone market.
Shipments to the Sino superpower reached a record 23.9 million in the third quarter, a 58% sequential increase, researcher Strategy Analytics reports. U.S. shipments fell 7% to 23.3 million over the same period. Increasing retail availability plus deals with carriers China Mobile
Nokia
Apple
Stateside, HTC leads all handset makers in terms of smartphone shipments with a 24% share of shipments made in Q3. The iPhone ranked second with a 20.6% share. Neither Nokia nor Research In Motion
How does all this play out for the long term? That's tough to say, but right now, Microsoft
Maybe that's the good news in all this. The U.S. may be fading in the fight to be the world's top tech market, but U.S. tech companies have rarely been in better shape.
Who do you think wins the mobile melee in China? Would you buy shares of Nokia, Apple, or neither? Please let us know what you think using the comments box below. You can also add Apple or Nokia to your watchlist for instant updates when mobile news breaks.