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Wireless
September
19, 2003
Market for smartphones, camera phones
heating up
UNITED
STATES -- In the recent quarters, shipments of smartphones
and camera phones have been heating up, according to
In-Stat/MDR. As of Q1-03, 1.7 million smartphones were
shipped worldwide, and the pace appears to be quickening.
Similarly, camera phones have been moving at a rapid
pace as well. For all of 2002, camera phone shipments
totaled about 18.2 million units, and Q1 2003 shipments
were 7.8 million.
However,
Neil Strother, a senior analyst with In-Stat/MDR, said:
"While these two handset categories have bright
futures, a look beyond the attractive opportunities
reveals some noteworthy threats and hurdles." For
smartphones high prices, technical glitches, bulky devices,
a lack of compelling enterprise and consumer applications,
and inadequate network capacity, are all presenting
a barrier to acceptance. "In addition, the perception
that the devices are mainly for mobile professionals,
still lingers," he added. The need for better image
sensors, more on-board memory for picture storage, longer
battery life, and network improvements to make picture
sharing easier and interoperability hinders the camera
phones market. Privacy concerns are also plaguing the
market.
In-Stat/MDR
also found that:
- Both
of these handset sub-segments are in for solid growth
over the next five years. Smartphones will be commonplace
by 2007, and camera phones should be ubiquitous. These
handset categories are already starting to merge,
and, by 2008, it is likely that there will be little
to distinguish them. New handsets at that time will
be "smart" in a variety of ways, and a built-in
camera will be standard;
- Smartphones
will grow 94.5 percent on a compound annual basis
through 2007; and
- Shipments
of handsets with an integrated digital camera will
show a compound annual growth rate of 53.2 percent
through 2007.
Contact:
Instat/MDR
www.instat.com
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