Smartphone sales drop

A dip in smartphone sales reported by the two biggest telcos in the US, AT-T and Verizon, could be good news for Apple's iPhone, analysts say.

According to Cult of Mac, the third-quarter drop-off in both iPhone and non-iPhone smartphones has to be seen in the context of the models on the shelves.

As identified by Apple CEO Tim Cook while discussing the company's quarterly results last week, iPhone sales were depressed as the market expectantly awaited news of a new device, which turned out to be the iPhone 4S.

In contrast, the drop in non-iPhone smartphones was accompanied by the launch of several new devices, according to Morgan Keegan analyst, Tavis McCourt.

The iPhone 4S is due to roll out in another 22 countries this week, although there is still no word from Apple when we may see it in New Zealand.