Smart phones to make up 16% of market
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LONDON-A new study shows that the market for smart phones will continue to increase during the next several years, with global shipments growing from 14.
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Mobile camera phones have seen a tremendous growth rate since they hit the market around seven years ago.
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(InfoWorld) - Handheld PC vendors sold four times as many smartphones as PDAs (personal digital assistants) in the second half of 2006, and Nokia Corp. continued to distance itself from competitors. Nokia owns 42 percent of the combined PDA and smartphone market, compared to single-digit market share for Research in Motion Ltd. (RIM), Motorola Inc. and Palm Inc., according to a study released Thursday by Gartner Inc. Worldwide, that market reached 42.1 million units, a 57 percent rise from the same period last year. Most of the growth was driven by sales of smartphones, which rose 75.5 percent to 34.7 million units. In contrast, PDAs grew very slowly, climbing only 5.7 percent to 7.4 million units. Nokia could add to its lead in the second half of 2006 as it launches new models of smartphones, said Roberta Cozza, principal research analyst for Gartner. Among the smaller vendors, Motorola doubled its sales of smartphones, thanks to the popularity of its Linux-based units in Chinese markets. But RIM is set to post stronger future growth with its Pearl device, as demand for mobile e-mail spreads beyond executive users, Gartner said. At the bottom of the pile, Palm saw its sales sink 26 percent, leaving it with only 5 percent of the combined worldwide market for PDAs and smartphones. In fact, the company has launched no new PDA models to date in 2006. PDAs aren't dead yet -- they outsold smartphones in North America in the first half of 2006. But smartphones ruled in every other region, including an enormous 33 percent worldwide share sold in Japan alone. To continue this hot pace of growth, vendors must convince buyers that new smartphones offer more benefits than less-expensive enhanced cell phones, Cozza said. To make that case, they will launch new products with advanced features and rich multimedia functions, she said. If they succeed, smartphone shipments could reach 81 million by the end of the year. Â
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Apple's new mobile phone has already made a major impact on the industry.
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perspective News.com's Scott Ard says if Apple makes a smart phone, there's a way to make it stand out from the pack.
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Video game and mobile phone companies are set to make money this year as customers use phones to zap space invaders or sink game-winning golf putts, pushing the mobile gaming market over &#36;1 billion, a study said.
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The popularity of mobiles packed with features is set to explode as they get better and cheaper, say analysts.
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Even after being on the market for less than half a year, more iPhones sold in the fourth quarter than Windows Mobile phones in the U.S., according to research from Canalys.Canalys researchers estimate that&#160;the iPhone&#160;had 28 percent of the U.S. converged-device market in the fourth quarter of 2007. Research In Motion, with 41 percent, had the largest share of the market. Windows Mobile phones had 21 percent share of devices sold in the quarter, falling into third place behind Apple.Worldwide, the lineup is a bit different. Nokia, which typically dominates around the world but not in the U.S., sold 52.9 percent of smart phones worldwide in the fourth quarter. RIM grew its share of converged-device sales to 11.4 percent, up 121 percent over the same quarter in 2006. Despite its limited availability around the world, Apple took third place with 6.5 percent of the market, just barely squeaking ahead of&#160;struggling Motorola.Apple may have stirred renewed interest in smart phones in the U.S. Converged-device shipments, which include smart phones and wireless handhelds, grew 222 percent in the U.S. during the quarter, according to Canalys.The iPhone also did well in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region, where it became available in three countries partway into the quarter. In the region, Apple came in fifth place behind Nokia, RIM, HTC, and Motorola, but beat out Sony Ericsson, Samsung and Palm, Canalys said.Apple&#39;s success as a new entrant is striking, but it will face challenges to keep its momentum going, said Canalys analyst Pete Cunningham in a statement. Historically, vendors with just one smart phone design, no matter how good, struggle, he said. That means Apple will have to create and refresh a portfolio of devices if it wants to increase its market share, he said.Beyond hardware, competition is continuing in the mobile operating system market. Worldwide Symbian, which credits most sales to Nokia, had 65 percent of the market, followed by Microsoft at 12 percent and RIM at 11 percent, for the fourth quarter, Canalys said.Despite all the buzz around mobile Linux, total Linux phone shipments in 2007 were essentially flat compared to 2006, Canalys found. In Asia Pacific, Motorola had a drop of 28 percent in its Linux smart phone shipments compared to 2006.Phone makers are trying to attract customers to smart phones, which carry a higher price tag than low-end feature phones. However, converged devices made up just 10 percent of the global phone market in 2007, the researchers found.
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The Finnish group Nokia was the world's leading provider of mobile telephones in the third quarter, capturing 35.1 percent of the market after 32.5 percent in the same period last year, a study by the Gartner institute has revealed.
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A new iPod cell phone could bolster revenues.
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The wireless phone provider's focus on business spills over into the consumer market.
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When the dust settles, Apple is set to have 10 percent of the U.S. smart phone market, analysts say.
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PC Magazine - An analyst says the computer maker could be poised to sell as many as 12 million of its own brand of cell phones following a 2007 debut.
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InfoWorld - Telephones with touchscreen displays that occupy most of their front face are starting to looking like the next big thing in the cellphone market.
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Taiwanese handset manufacturer HTC has reported its sales for 2007, and it looks like the touch-screen smart phone market is more balanced than it is often portrayed to be.
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Worldwide mobile phone sales rise 26% in the July to September quarter, driven by demand for new handsets.
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Upcoming mobile phones will support Secure Digital flash memory.