BlackBerry Curve outsold iPhone 3G S in Q2

August 4, 2009 | Paul Boutin | Comments | |

blackberry_curve_8300-01The latest smartphone market report from analysts IDC claims that despite all the buzz, attention and money thrown at iPhones and anything to do with iPhones, the new iPhone 3G S came in second to BlackBerry’s Curve as the phone most bought in America in the second quartery of 2009.

IDC’s top ten list looks like this:

1. BlackBerry Curve
2. iPhone 3G S
3. BlackBerry Pearl
4. iPhone 3G
5. BlackBerry Bold
6. BlackBerry Storm
7. HTC T-Mobile G1
8. Palm Pre
9. HTC Touch Pro
10. HTC Touch Diamond

If you’re not convinced, you can always criticize IDC’s methodology. Because neither phone makers nor wireless carriers divulge their sales numbers for individual models, IDC interviews sources in the industry, including parts manufacturers, and scours all other available data. The company’s analysts then attempt to reverse-engineer, say, how many Curves were sold by BlackBerry to wireless carriers and other sales channels. But IDC doesn’t attempt to guess how many of those phones end up in consumers’ hot little hands. So this is list is a best guess, rather than a carefully measured ranking.

[Photo from Phones Corporation]

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About the Author, Paul Boutin

Paul (paul@venturebeat.com) covers Apple & the iPhone, social networks & social media, digital music & video, and any crazy Internet story. Paul wrote and edited for Valleywag from 2006-2008, after several years with Wired magazine and Slate. He writes regularly for The New York Times' technology section and sometimes for Wired and The Wall Street Journal. He studied computer science at MIT in the early 1980s, and worked as a software developer and network administrator for 15 years before becoming a professional writer. Follow him on Twitter at @paulboutin, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.

  • The report linked to barely mentions smartphones... I'm wondering how Blackberry overall fared against Apple? With Blackberry taking #1, 3, 5 and 6, compared to Apple's #2 and 4, it makes them look pretty dominant still in the smartphone market.

    And the Blackberry Tour just hit Verizon this qtr, so it will be interesting to see how that affects the list next qtr.
  • Wasn't the iPhone 3GS launched on June 19? That would mean that the 3GS only had 10 days in Q2 vs. 90 for the curve.
  • Nixxon
    Rob brings up a very valid point. Bias "report" is bias.
  • yay! i have BlackBerry Pearl, although i'm not sure i will contribute to that stat for long. i may be switching to the iPhone for all its nifty apps. are these stats compiled by equal times the phones have been in the market or sales made strictly within the quarter?
  • Why is it hard to believe such a believable report? :)
  • engagoteam
    iPhone is hype bought by people who need to be cool.
    BlackBerry is real use.
  • rabu
    Perhaps due to the limited no of network carrires for I-phone 3GS? Blackberry is available on all networks, Iphone is just AT&T in the States and O2 in the UK? There is a lot of fuss about which phone to have and in the past I have tended to stray away from apple due too everyone elses need for one however when it comes down to it I always seem to end up with an inferior device so I think I will buy an i-phone next.