Global mobile phone market to slow to 1.4% growth in 2012

News Wireless Global 5 DEC 2012
Global mobile phone market to slow to 1.4% growth in 2012
Growth in the worldwide mobile phone market is forecast to slow to 1.4 percent this year, due to the weak global economy, IDC predicts. This is the lowest annual growth rate in three years, despite a projected record number of smartphone shipments in the holiday season. Vendors are estimated to ship more than 1.7 billion mobile phones this year, rising to 2.2 billion in 2016. 

For the fourth quarter of 2012, IDC forecast smartphone shipments of 224.5 million, up 39.5 percent year-over-year. Over the full year 2012, smartphone shipments are forecast to grow 45.1 percent to 717.5 million units. Smartphone growth is driven by new flagship devices, such as Apple's iPhone 5 and Samsung’s Galaxy S3, as well as lower-cost Android phones shipped to China and other emerging markets. 

IDC expects Android will maintain its lead among smartphone OS, with a share of 63.8 percent in 2016. Windows Phone will show the fastest growth over the period, at a CAGR of 71.3 percent, to reach an estimated market share of 11.4 percent in 2016. 

Categories:

Mobile

Companies:

Apple,  Samsung

Regions:

Global

Tags:

Handsets, Market research

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