SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., November 20, 2006 -
Smartphone unit sales almost tripled from 2004 to 2005, and increased by 50% in the first half of 2006 over 2005, reports In-Stat (http://www.in-stat.com). The stakes are high; as well as the escalating battle for smartphone operating system dominance, the growing acceptance of smartphones offers new competition to established products such as BlackBerry, Personal Information Managers and PDAs.
“There are two reasons for caution, in spite of spectacular sales,” says Bill Hughes, an analyst at the high-tech market research firm. “Many smartphone users continue to carry the very devices that smartphones are meant to replace. Also, users have been slow to add new applications to their devices. Most users have only downloaded a few applications.”
Recent research by In-Stat found the following:
Business users that received their smartphone through work are three times more likely to carry a second wireless phone for personal calls than other users.
Many smartphones sold in 2006 serve as a combination phone and PDA. Others have power and performance comparable in capability to many laptops. Most of the smartphones sold globally, however, only enable the user to access the capabilities of basic wireless phones.
US smartphone customers are about evenly split between Windows Mobile, BlackBerry OS, and Palm OS.
Recent In-Stat research, In-Depth Analysis: Smartphone 2006: Whose Definition Is It Anyway? (#IN0602923WH), covers the global market for smartphones. It contains a review of the major manufacturers of smartphone operating systems. It also covers the results of a survey In-Stat commissioned to understand the perceptions and attitudes of smartphone users and non-users. Worldwide shipment forecasts by OS through 2010 are included.
For more information on this research or to purchase it online, please visit:
http://www.instat.com/catalog/Wcatalogue.asp?id=66
or contact a sales representative:
Eastern North America: Tina Sheltra, 480.609.4531; tina.sheltra@reedbusiness.com
Western North America: Erin McKeighan, 480.609.4551; emckeighan@reedbusiness.com
Outside of North America: http://www.instat.com/sales.asp
The price is $3,495 (US).
This research is part of In-Stat’s Mobile Devices Service, which combines primary end-user and supply-side research to offer comprehensive reporting, worldwide industry and technology trends, user preferences, and forecasting for mobile devices, including wireless handsets, smartphones, and data devices. In addition to topical reports, quarterly summaries track global handset revenue and market share by manufacturer, air link, and region.
For a more comprehensive analysis of wireless handset, consider the In-Stat report, “The Big Trends For Cell Phones, 2006-2011”. This report considers technology developments, consumer preferences, and sales channel trends in anticipating the future developments of wireless devices.
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About In-Stat
In-Stat’s market intelligence combines technical, market and end-user research and database models to analyze the Mobile Internet and Digital Entertainment ecosystems. Our insights are derived from a deep understanding of technology impacts, nearly 30 years of history in research and consulting, and direct relationships with leading players in each of our core markets. In-Stat provides its research through reports, annual subscriptions, consulting and advisory services to inform critical decisions. Technology and semiconductor vendors, infrastructure and device manufacturers, service providers and media companies worldwide rely on partnerships with In-Stat’s tenured, experienced staff and on our in-depth market intelligence to support critical business, product and technology decisions.
In-Stat is a strategic segment of the $9 billion Reed Elsevier global information network, with access to an expansive worldwide electronic network, extensive technology databases and well-informed personnel. As a member of Reed Business Information, In-Stat is a division of the largest business-to-business publisher in the U.S.
