Samsung takes a bite out of Apple

Samsung has ousted Apple as producer of the world’s best-selling smartphone with its Galaxy S3 overtaking the iPhone 4S.

South Korea’s Samsung sold 18 million Galaxy S3 handsets in the third quarter, against Apple’s 16.2 million sales of its iPhone 4S, according to research from Strategy Analytics.

The Galaxy S3 now takes just over a tenth of the global smartphone market, the research shows.

However Strategy Analytics said Apple’s iPhone 5, released on September 21, will probably take back the best seller title in the fourth quarter with sales of iPhones 4s depressed by shoppers waiting for Apple to launch of the fifth generation version of the smartphone.