Smartphone vendors shipped a record number of units in Q3/2009, up nearly 5% from the previous year. Nokia led the pack, followed closely by RIM (BlackBerry) and Apple.
Worldwide demand for smartphones is expected to continue as the economy gets better. Sales for smartphones is expected to continue to outpace sales of regular phones (without browsing, email, and social media functionality).
Gartner Group, a leading market research firm, said the growth in sales of smartphones slowed to 11.5% in Q3/2008. This marks the weakest growth they’ve seen since Garnter started tracking sales in the mobile sector.
RIM, makers of the BlackBerry, lowered their 3Q earnings forecast due to “shifts in product-launch dates” — in other words, the later-than-expected releases of the BlackBerry Bold and Storm. However, they claim that initial sales of the BlackBerry Storm has set records.
The data can get confusing and contradictory at times. Only time will tell.
Here’s the big question: will sales of “smartphones” continue to eat away at the sales of regular (good old) “cell phones?” More people are choosing to buy smartphones over regular phones that don’t offer email and web browsing capabilities. Will this trend hold up in 2009 and our uncertain economic times?