HELSINKI – Brightpoint, a U.S. distributor of mobiles and other wireless devices, sees Nokia on its way to reaching 40 percent of the global market and strong in all price ranges, Brightpoint’s CEO said.
«Nokia’s market share is on its way towards the 40 percent mark, and it has a superior standing in cheap, mid-range as well as high-end wireless devices,» Brightpoint Chief Executive Bob Laikin told Finnish financial daily Kauppalehti, in comments published on Wednesday.
Nokia, the world’s top cellphone maker, is Brightpoint’s largest customer, and reported a global market share of 36 percent in the first quarter of 2007.
Brightpoint estimates 200 million smartphones — one of Nokia’s key segments — will be sold this year.
Laikin also said he expected Apple Inc.’s new iPhone, set to go on sale in the United States on June 29, would have only a novelty position in the market.
«Apple’s iPhone will sell in the U.S. in the coming quarters maybe 1 to 2 million units. That is quite small, considering that perhaps 170 million cellphones are being shipped in North America this year,» Laikin told Kauppalehti. Apple’s phone costs $500-$600, while many Americans wish to buy a device for $99, he said.
«Apple will have to do other things in addition to creating hype, if it wants a large number of buyers for its phone,» Laikin was quoted as saying.
«The (iPhone) offering will be modest to begin with, as it takes time to start up full production.»
Fuente: Reuters
