Did mobile phone sales start to tank a lot from July to September, or not?
Analysts voice some disagreement over recent sales statistics and how those numbers should be interpreted. Mobile phone shipments rose 3.2% in the third quarter of 2008, according to a year-to-year comparison from IDC. Another analyst group, ABI Research, put that number at 8.2%. In new reports, however, both analyst firms found smartphones to be a bright spot from July through September, and both predicted that the current economic crisis will cast a shadow on holiday sales. Although 3.2% is an improvement, the third quarter is historically a ramp-up time as manufacturers ship phones in preparation for the holiday season, “producing year-over-year growth rates as high as 20%,” according to an IDC statement. “Handset vendors felt the pressures of the dismal economy in the third quarter of 2008, and as a result, shipments and revenues were down almost across the board,” acknowledged Ryan Reith, senior research analyst with IDC’s Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. On the other hand, Jake Sa
