Market research firm VisionMobile
has released a report, revealing that the worldwide mobile phone market
is still dominated by feature phones. Despite all the craze around the
latest iPhone or Android device and the spike in smartphone shipments,
their global penetration has only reached 27 percent.
The report finds that smartphone adoption
varied widely depending on region and that generally markets with
extensive 3G coverage and post-paid subscription plans had the highest
smartphone adoption rate. Smartphones account for 63 percent of mobile
phones in the US, 51 percent in Europe, 19 percent in the Asia-Pacific,
18 percent in Africa/Middle East, and 17 percent in Latin America.
The markets dominated by feature phones are also dominated by
pre-paid plans and price-oriented phones led by Nokia’s mid-tier Symbian
phones and RIM’s consumer-targeted BlackBerry devices. However, Android
devices are rising in these markets thanks to its low cost models, as
the platform offers a wide range of price points.
Android and iOS continue to duke it out for the leading spot among
smartphones, but VisionMobile believes that there won’t be one clear
winner as both have reached a critical mass in users as well as in their
app ecosystems. This leaves Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform and
RIM’s BlackBerry to fight for the number three spot, if there’s even
room for a third player.
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