Apple Is No. 1 Phone Maker In U.S.

According to Forbes.com, Apple is now the largest U.S. maker of mobile phones. After selling a total of 8.8 million iPhones in the first quarter of this year, Apple surpassed Motorola as the largest U.S. maker of phones. To compare, Motorola sold a total of 8.5 million phones in the same quarter.

Despite losing its spot as the No. 1 maker of mobile phones, Motorola managed to post an unexpected profit in the first quarter thanks to sales of its new phones which outdid the company's forecasts. Four years ago, Motorola sold 46.1 million phones in the first quarter. Now, the market has changed and run-of-the-mill phones such as Motorola's one-popular Razr are not as profitable or popular. In an attempt to turn around the slide in phone sales, Motorola has refocused its efforts to smartphones such as the company's DROID. In the first three months of the year, Motorola sold 2.3 million smartphones.

According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide mobile Phone Tracker, the worldwide mobile phone market grew 21.7% in the first quarter of 2010 (1Q10). Statistics from the IDC also show that Motorola lost its spot in the top 5 vendor rankings. For the first time, Research In Motion moved into the top 5 by tying Sony Ericsson for the No. 4 position. To compare, RIM shipped 10.6 million units in the first quarter while Motorola shipped 8.5 million units. Motorola had been a top 5 vendor since the IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker was created in 2004.