Smartphones tipped for strong growth

Posted by Louise Tate

The market for smartphones is expected to see substantial growth in the coming years, new research has suggested.

A report by IT industry analyst IDC predicted that worldwide shipments of converged mobile devices will experience a compound annual growth rate of 20.9 per cent in the years to 2013, with more than 390 million units expected to be sold.

Stephen Drake, vice president of mobility and telecoms at the researcher, added that mobile operating systems will be the key determinant of the success of various smartphones.

"Although the overall look and feel of the device will still play an important role in the buying process, the wrong choice of operating system coupled with an awkward user interface can mean the difference between success and failure," he explained.

The forecast claimed that Symbian will remain the leading smartphone operating system in the years up to 2013, although Android is predicted to experience the market's fastest growth rate.

Conrad Longmore, editor at Mobile Gazette, recently predicted that mid-range smartphones are likely to become more advanced over the next 12 months and include features previously only found on top-end models.