Market Stats

Big Smartphones = Big Business

  • PDF

Once the butt of tech journalist jokes, the oversized "phablet" smartphone format actually means big business-- w2013 shipments set to reach 60.4 million units, up from 25.6m for 2012, according to IHS iSuppli.

The estimates cover smartphones with 5-inch displays or larger. 

Allowing such "vigorous" double-digit growth is expansion in low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) LCD capacity, as well as price reductions in large-size, high-resolution smartphone displays.

iSuppli phablet forecast

iSuppli forecasts global phablet shipments will reach 146m units by 2016.

Judging from CES 2013, China has the big smartphone lead-- Huawei has the 6.1-inch Ascend Mate (reportedly the biggest smartphone in the world), as well as the 5-inch 443dpi Ascend D2. Other 5-inch Chinese handsets include the ZTE Grand S, the Alcatel-branded One Touch Scribe HD from TCL and the Lenovo IdeaPhone K5.

Small (7-inch) and cheap tablets also prove popular at CES, with models such as the Acer Iconia B1-9A71 and the Archos 70 Titanium, together with a variety of hybrid tablet/laptop prototypes. 

Go IHS iSuppli Mobile Handset Displays Tracker

Imminent Collapse for eReaders?

  • PDF

Will eReaders go the way of the dodo within the next few years? IHS iSuppli believes exactly that, reporting the market is "in an alarmingly precipitous decline."

eReadersThat the devices will collapse soon after a fairly spectacular rise might not surprise some-- not when tablets are breaking records for both customers' hearts and wallets.

According to iSuppli 2012 eReader shipments will drop by -36% to 14.9 million units, down from 23.2m in 2011, before contracting even further by -27% (to 10.9m units) in 2013 and to just 7.1m units by 2016.

If such totals are the case, no wonder the analyst describes 2011 as the peak year for eReaders. The numbers also represent a shift from growth to collapse unprecedented even in a market as notoriously volatile as CE. The eReader took consumer space by storm on 2006, with shipments growing from 1m to 10.1m (up by a factor of 10) from 2008 to 2010.

Read more...

Gartner: Samsung Dominates Mobile Market

  • PDF

Global Q3 2012 mobile phone sales to end users drop by -3.1%  Y-o-Y to total around 428 million units Gartner reports-- with smartphones accounting for 36% of sales with 46.9% Y-o-Y growth. 

Despite the decline, Gartner points out a number of "positive signs" for the market during Q3 2012. Demand is improving in both emerging and mature market (as seen through Q-o-Q growth), with new devices driving replacement sales. 

Samsung leads the overall mobile market, with sales reaching 98m units with 18.6% Y-o-Y growth and 22.9% market share thanks to strong Galaxy smartphone demand. Meanwhile former leader Nokia slips further with 19.2% mobile market share and sales dropping by -21.9% market share to 82.3m units (still an improvement from earlier Gartner estimates due to increased Asha series sales).  

Read more...

IDC: Q3 iPad Shipments Slip, Androids Take Advantage

  • PDF

Android tablets gain global marketshare during Q3 2012 as Apple iPad shipments slip below analyst expectations according to IDC, leading to solid growth for the top Android tablet vendors.

iPad shipments for Q3 2012 total 14m, the result of a combination between weak economy and consumers preferring to wait it out for the awaited iPad mini. As a result, Apple tablet share is down-- from 65.5% in Q2 2012 to 50.4% in Q3 2012.

"We believe the [iPad mini]'s relatively high $329 starting price leaves plenty of room for Android vendors to build upon the success they achieved in the third quarter," IDC remarks.

Read more...

iSuppli: Smaller iPad to Boost 7-inch Market

  • PDF

The smaller iPad will "turbocharge" the 7-inch tablet market IHS iSuppli reports, pushing the device category to nearly 100% growth as shipments reach 34 million in 2012 and 67m in 2013.

According to the analyst 2011 7-inch tablet shipments total 17m.

7inch forecast

“Just as Apple has dominated the market for 9.7-inch tablets the company is poised to rule the market for 7-inch products, driving rapid growth of the segment in 2012 and 2013,” iSuppli remarks. "Apple will successfully position the smaller iPad as a device that will be attractive and easy to adopt for both new and returning customers. This will spur rapid sales growth and provide tough competition for other companies contending in this size range.”

Through an Apple entry the 7-inch category will also gain bigger tablet market share-- from 24% in 2011 to 28% in 2012 and 33% in 2013.

Android tablet vendors (such as Google) have found a competitive niche with the 7-inch category. A smaller iPad will demand a move towards more exotic form factors, namely 8-inch. iSuppli also predicts Windows 8 and RT will find a home in devices with 10-inch-and-larger displays.

Go Smaller iPad to Contribute to Doubling of 7-inch Tablet Market