Apple Becomes Fourth Largest Manufacturer of Mobile Phones

IDC has announced the results of its Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker survey, which place Apple as the world's fourth largest manufacturer of not just of smartphones, but of all mobile phones.

"The entrance of Apple to the top 5 vendor ranking underscores the increased importance of smartphones to the overall market," said IDC's Kevin Restivo in a prepared statement. "Moreover, the mobile phone makers that are delivering popular smartphone models are among the fastest growing firms."