Nokia controls 41.2% of the smartphone market. Research in Motion (of BlackBerry fame) controls 19.9%, and Apple controls a respectable 10.8%. Both RIM and Nokia enjoy commanding leads over Apple but, in the wake of this blockbuster million sale weekend, it looks like those leads may soon diminish.

Piper Jaffray (the same firm that made the incorrect iPhone sales predictions) has just released a new study carried out during the 3GS launch this weekend. The study's most interesting finding was that 12% of new iPhone 3GS customers were buying their new iPhone as a replacement for their old BlackBerry. This is up from 6% of customers last year, and signals that Apple is gaining ground on RIM once more.

28% of new iPhone owners also stated that this was their first time using AT&T as a carrier. That's a boon to ATT now, but it's also a sign of how badly they're going to suffer when Apple moves on from their exclusivity agreement.

The study also makes the comment that much of Apple's success is due to the extreme brand loyalty that iPhone customers show to Apple. The analyst behind the study stated that new iPhone releases appear to be part of an 'annual cycle'. That's not quite confirmation that we can look forward to a new iPhone model every June, but it is a promising sign.