Research firm Canalys has reinforced the observations that the strong growth of iPhone and Blackberry sales has come at the expense of Nokia’s market share in the smartphone segment, according to Reuters. The analysis showed a drop in Nokia’s share from 51.4 percent in last year’s quarter to 38.9 percent this year. In contrast, Apple grew to 17.3 percent while RIM also gained share to reach 15.2 percent in the quarter.

The research firm cited the 3G launch and global expansion as driving factors for Apple, pushing it into second place. The fourth quarter could be stronger for RIM, however, if the sales of its new Bold, Storm, and Pearl 8220 devices show strong holiday sales, according to Canalys.

Nokia’s troubles have spilled over to its supplies as well, with the software vendor Symbian experiencing a drop from 68.1 percent to 46.6 percent from last year. The Symbian platform will likely hold its leading position in 2009, but the Apple, RIM, Microsoft, and Linux platforms might have to jockey for the second position.