Apple ranks 3rd in smartphones, nipping at RIMs heels

A new report out from Gartner indicates that Apple Inc. ranked third in worldwide smartphone sales in Q3 2009.

Worldwide Smartphone Sales to End Users in 3Q09 (Thousands of Units)

Apple's 3Q09 smartphone sales totaled just over 7 million units, commanding 17.1 percent of the market.

What's more surprising is that Apple is just 1.5 million sales (about 21 percent) behind Research In Motion (RIM). The second place Blackberry weighed in at 8.5 million units sold and almost 21 percent of the market. Nokia continued to dominate the smartphone market in the third quarter with over 16 million units and a commanding 39.3 percent of the market.

I'd be worried if I were RIM. The Cupertino Kids could pass RIM in sales during the key Q4 holiday shopping quarter. Especially if the rumor of a $99 8GB iPhone 3GS pans out.

Table: MacRumors