Reckons Apple is now the second largest smartphone shipper in the world.
Research firm Strategy Analytics has published its estimates for global smartphone shipments in Q3, with a year-on-year rise of 78% to 77 million units.
The company thinks Apple has leapfrogged RIM to become the second largest smartphone maker, too.
Nokia remains top dog with 26.5 million units shipped during the quarter, with Apple's 14.1 million units also announced this week.
RIM reports its quarterly financials out of sync with its rivals, but Strategy Analytics pegs its Q3 shipments at 12.4 million units.
The two companies' bosses have been verbally duelling in recent days. Apple CEO Steve Jobs claimed that iPhone had outsold BlackBerry in Q3.
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However, RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie responded by claiming that comparing Apple's September-ending quarter with RIM's August-ending quarter "doesn't tell the whole story", while questioning whether Apple's Q3 figures are "padded by unfulfilled Q3 customer demand and channel orders".
It's safe to say Jobs will be happier with the Strategy Analytics figures, then.
There is also an interesting clash between Strategy Analytics' market share estimates and Nokia's own figures.
Yesterday, Nokia estimated that its 26.5 million smartphone sales in Q3 gave it a 38% market share.
However, Strategy Analytics figures for shipments puts Nokia's market share at 34.4%, ahead of Apple's 18.3% and RIM's 16.1%.
Don't expect the corporate jousting to end anytime soon, in other words.




















