14 DAY TRIAL // The number of smartphones (converged mobile devices) that were shipped during the first quarter of the ongoing year increased by 56.7 percent when compared to the same time frame a year ago, reaching 54.7 million units, the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker shows. Moreover, the smartphone segment has re-entered on the high-growth track again, it seems, as the increase in shipments is reportedly twice as large as the increase registered by the entire mobile phone market.
According to the research firm, handset vendors around the world managed to ship 21.7 percent more devices in the first quarter of 2010 when compared to the same period a year ago. Moreover, smartphones accounted for 18.8 percent of the total number of handsets delivered to the market, a small increase when compared to the 14.4 percent market share they accounted for in the first quarter of 2009. During the fourth quarter of the last year, the smartphone segment went up by 38 percent, showing that the market has great potential.
“2010 looks to be another year of large-scale consumer adoption of converged mobile devices,” says Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst with IDC’s Mobile Devices Technology and Trends team. “Consumers will gravitate to smartphones not just because the devices themselves look 'cool' and 'slick', but because the overall experience aligns with their individual tastes and demands. Users are seeking – and finding – experiences that are intuitive, seamless, and fun. Already, we've seen what Palm's webOS and Google's Android can do. This year, we expect updates for BlackBerry, Symbian, and Windows Mobile to spark greater smartphone demand with their offerings.”
According to Kevin Restivo, senior analyst with IDC's Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker, the increased sales of smartphones will be fueled by a greater awareness, more affordable data plans, and by the recovering worldwide economy. “More consumers are aware of smartphones now due to positive referrals from friends and family and manufacturer's mass media campaigns. Coupled with increased confidence on the part of consumers, these factors will create a perfect storm of demand for suppliers this year,” Restivo commented.
Nokia remained leader on the market in Q1 2010, and launched new models, including C3, C6, and the E5, as well as the high-end Symbian^3-based Nokia N8 (which should be followed by other handsets running under the OS). RIM marked the second spot on the market, helped by BlackBerry Curve 8520 and BlackBerry Bold 9700, and should refresh its lineup with the launch of BlackBerry OS 6.0. Apple managed to double shipments from a year ago, and is expected to launch a new OS flavor too. HTC registered high double-digit growth, helped by a wide range of new devices, while Motorola returned to the smartphone market with Android devices, which should comprise most of its lineup for 2010.