With the convergence of Mobile Phones and the Internet, 2011 and 2012 saw the rise of SmartPhones over Feature Phones with Google’s Android Mobile OS acting as a Catalyst for vendors and of-course the high speed connectivity provided by carriers on UMTS /3G technology has unleashed new era in computing and how we do things in our daily life.
Android will Continue to Dominate
Smartphone OS share of Android could grow from 70% to 74% between 2012 and 2013, while Apple’s iOS share could decline to 16%. Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS may have to remain content with 6% coming primarily at the expense of Symbian and Blackberry OS.
FeaturePhones to Decline and Pave Way for SmartPhones
Beleagured handset maker Nokia, Samsung and other white box vendors continue to have a meaningful presence in this segment, mostly concentrated in emerging countries like India. With mid-range smartphone pricing in Asia now approaching $100, this trend is only likely to accelerate going forward. At the end of Q3-2012, Global SmartPhone shipment had reached 200Mn units while FeaturePhone handset sales was 310 Mn units.
Global OEM MarketShare of Mobile Handset Units and Mobile Handset Revenues between 2008-2012
The following chart shows the fall of Nokia and rise of Samsung in terms of Handset Units Sold and Revenues as well. Similarly, Blackberry’s Fall is cashed on by Apple’s iOS platform.
Global Mobile Handset Market Share by OS
As evident from the chart below, Android has risen from NIL in 2009 to a whopping 72% in 2012 mainly because of it being open source and Google continuing to invest in R&D of the Platform with 3 major releases since Froyo [Ginger Bread, Ice-cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean. Honey Comb was Tablet Only]
UMTS 3G Most Popular Connecting Technology for Mobile Data Broadband Services
As evident from the chart below, GPRS and CDMA are shrinking paving way for UMTS / 3G and the trend is likely to continue for some more time until 4G / LTE meaningfully takes off. Nascent LTE in white is mainly because of the takeoff in the US.
And before we conclude let us answer what is the total mobile handset unit shipments globally – 1.34 Bn in 2009, 1.63 Bn in 2012, 1.94 in 2011 and 2012. Expected to reach 2.04 Bn in 2013.
Data Source: Source: Strategy Analytics along with BOFA-ML