IDC: Samsung passes Apple for Q1 smartphone lead

Samsung passed Apple in the first quarter of 2012 to become the world’s top smartphone maker, according to the latest data from IDC. Samsung’s Q1 shipments of 42.2 million smartphones were good for 29.1 percent of the market, compared to Apple, which accounted for 24.2 percent of the market with shipments of 35.1 million units. Notably, no other manufacturer accounted for more as much as 10 percent of the market. Overall, Apple was the world’s third-largest mobile phone maker in Q1 with 8.8 percent of the market, behind both Samsung and Nokia, and ahead of ZTE and LG.