Smartphones to Out-ship Features in 2013
According to a new report by market analyst IDC, for the first time ever smartphones are expected to outship feature phones this year (2013). The firm predicts that vendors will ship an upwards of 918 million smartphones this year, which will equate to 50.1% of the total number of global mobile phone shipments. IDC also forecasts by the end of 2017 1.5 billion smartphones will be shipped worldwide, accounting just over two-thirds of the total mobile phone forecast for the year.
When looking to the east, China is set to remain the world’s largest market for smartphones; specifically low-cost handsets based on the Android operating system.
Melissa Chau senior research manager at IDC had this to say,
“While we don’t expect China’s smartphone growth to maintain the pace of a runaway train as it has over the last two years, there continue to be big drivers to keep the market growing as it leads the way to ever-lower smartphone prices and the country’s transition to 4G networks is only just beginning,”
“Even as China starts to mature, there remains enormous untapped potential in other emerging markets like India, where we expect less than half of all phones shipped there to be smartphones by 2017, and yet it will weigh in as the world’s third largest market.”
Looking to Brazil, (another key market where smartphone growth is expected to continue upwards).
Bruno Freitas, Consumer Devices Research Manager at IDC Brazil said,
“Brazilians have yet to turn in their feature phones for smartphones on a wholesale basis,”
“The smartphone tide is turning in Brazil though, as wireless service providers and the government have laid the ground work for a strong smartphone foundation that mobile phone manufacturers can build upon.”
With smartphone users now accounting for the majority of all mobile phone users in the US, IDC anticipates slower growth in the coming years (no kidding).
The same is also true for UK’s smartphone market having slowed in recent quarters as penetration has risen and economic growth has failed to gather significant pace.
Kevin is an Online and Mobile Marketing Strategist who has worked with companies of all sizes over the last 6 years. You can follow Kevin on any of the social platforms below.
