Samsung may have just sold more smartphones than Apple, according to industry scuttlebutt doing the rounds now--it's all based on rumor because Samsung doesn't reveal sales of its phones separately anymore, and the entire question is muddied because Apple sells just two versions of the iPhone and Samsung's stock covers hundreds of only slightly different varieties. Or, on the other hand, Samsung may not have beaten Apple. It may have achieved a greater marketshare of smartphones globally, or perhaps not. We really don't know, but the widespread chatter about it at least illustrates that people are watching this market keenly. We're more certain that Samsung has now ousted Nokia from its 14-year lead as biggest phone vendor--a plausible fact given Nokia's continuing slip from grace. And we're pretty convinced that Samsung's dirty tricks "smear" PR campaign against Apple customers--accusing them of being sheep--now rings completely hollow.
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