iphone

Apple has been crowned the victor in last quarter's smartphone wars by yet another research firm.

Among the top five global manufacturers, Apple grabbed the top spot with a market share of 23.5 percent, according to IDC. That proved a healthy gain over the 15.9 percent share from a year ago.

The iPhone maker also shipped the greatest number of phones last quarter at 37 million, compared with just 16.2 million in 2010's fourth quarter.

Brisk sales for the iPhone 4S helped Apple narrowly surpass its smartphone rival Samsung. The Korean handset maker's share