New Delhi, November 28- According to a recently published mobile phone forecast from International Data Corporation (IDC), worldwide smartphone shipments are expected to surpass one billion units in 2013.
This represents a humongous growth of 39.3% over 2012. By 2017, total smartphone shipments are expected to approach 1.7 billion units, resulting in a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.4% from 2013 to 2017.
A number of mature smartphone markets are fast approaching to a saturation point. However, the demand for low-cost smartphones in emerging markets continues to drive the market forward.
According to the published report, “A number of trends co-exist in the global smartphone market, but none have more of an affect on driving market growth than the steady decline in average selling prices (ASPs). Android has enabled a number of new manufacturers to enter the smartphone market supported by a variety of turnkey processing solutions. Many of these handset vendors have focused on low-cost devices as a way to build brand awareness. In 2013, IDC expects smartphone ASPs to be $337, down -12.8% from $387 in 2012. This trend will continue in the years to come and IDC expects smartphone ASPs to gradually drop to $265 by 2017.”
“The key driver behind smartphone volumes in the years ahead is the expected decrease in prices,” said Ramon Llamas, Research Manager with IDC’s Mobile Phone team.
The IDC report further said, “From a volume perspective, emerging markets including Asia/Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa (MEA) will all post market-beating growth rates from 2013 to 2017. Asia/Pacific will also experience some market share growth from 2013 to 2017. Developed markets, by contrast, will see market share erosion, but will nonetheless see volume increases during the same time period. All combined, the worldwide smartphone market is poised for certain growth.”
–Indiatoday
