iPhone Outsells all Windows Mobile Devices

New data suggests that Apple has outpaced Microsoft in the race for mobile dominance - but still lags far behind competitors like Symbian.

Microsoft may be an immovable giant in the desktop realm, but as Apple and other handset makers have proven, the Redmond behemoth hasn’t quite cemented its dominance when it comes to mobile devices. According to new data from research firm Gartner, Apple’s OS X mobile operating system has actually eclipsed Windows Mobile in worldwide sales.

OS X has seen voracious growth as a mobile platform since Apple introduced it on the original iPhone in the summer of 2007, holding 12.9 percent of the marketplace as of the third quarter of 2008. By contrast, Windows Mobile has only seen its market share steadily nibbled away by other companies in the years since its introduction, now holding only 11.1 percent of the market.

Both mobile operating systems are still outshone by Symbian, which is still the clear worldwide leader in sales with 49.8 percent market share, and by the operating system RIM uses in its BlackBerry handsets, which holds 15.9 percent of the market.

Despite the shift in dominance between different companies, the overall picture for the smartphone market looked weak. Gartner says that 11.5 percent year-on-year growth is the lowest ever recorded since it began tracking smartphone sales, likely a result of current economic conditions.