Finnish phone giant and marketshare leader announced that Q4 and 2009 will be worse than expected (off by 5% vs. 2008). Further, the company said, "it can no longer be certain its fourth-quarter market share will be stable at 38%," according to MarketWatch.

Beyond the economy Nokia's market share dominance has been threatened by the global rollout of the iPhone, which is now reportedly the second-leading smartphone in the world -- with an almost 17% smartphone market share according to one analyst. AdMob has reflected the global growth of the iPhone on its network. 

Earlier in the week Nokia announced its costly "iPhone Killer," the N97. The N97 won't be out until the first half of next year and won't come to the US until later in the year, giving the iPhone more time to become completely entrenched and potentially address some of its perceived deficiencies: battery life, cut and paste, video, etc. 

One of the things that is propelling the iPhone, beyond its iPod-like iconic status now, is the apps marketplace that -- at least until Android, RIM and (maybe) WinMo can catch up -- make it unique and all the more appealing.

Another thing that has propelled the device is the AT&T subsidy/price cut that was announced when the 3G model was introduced. To that end, the Boy Genius Report offers a dubious rumor that a 4GB model of the iPhone may be sold through Wal-Mart for $99. If true you'd see that model fly off the shelves. 

As indicated there are several ways in which the N97 beats the iPhone. But the proliferation of would-be touch-screen iPhone Killers in the market only serves to ironically reinforce the iPhone as the "brand" and the others -- unless or until they're better or at least comparable on a range of fronts, including apps -- as imitators or also-rans. This is exactly what happened in the portable music player market with the iPod.