Smartphone sales outstrip basic feature phones
For the first time, smartphone sales have outstripped those of standard feature phones.
During the second quarter of 2013, smartphones accounted for 51.8% of the 435 million handset sales, with worldwide sales reaching 225 million units. This represented an increase of 46.5% on the same quarter one year ago, according to research from Gartner.
Over the same period, feature phone sales fell by 21% to just over 210 million units. It is the first time that smartphones have topped the market.
Principal research analyst at Gartner, Anshul Gupta, said: “Smartphones accounted for 51.8% of mobile phone sales in the second quarter of 2013, resulting in smartphone sales surpassing feature phone sales for the first time.”
Research also indicated that Samsung has continued to be the dominant manufacturer within the smartphone market, increasing its share to 31.7% from the previous figure of 29.7%.
In terms of operating systems, Android retained its dominance, taking a market share of a remarkable 79%. In the same period last year, it accounted for 64.2% of the market. iOS, meanwhile, is currently lagging behind on 14.2%.
Microsoft was the company to benefit most within the study. Its Windows Phone operating system scooped a 3.3% share of the market, overtaking Canadian manufacturer BlackBerry for the first time. The Canadian firm’s share of the market currently stands at 2.7%.
Mr Gupta added: “While Microsoft has managed to increase share and volume in the quarter, Microsoft should continue to focus on growing interest from app developers to help grow its appeal among users.”
Source: Mobile News Cwp