One billion smartphones. Repeat that out loud. One billion. That is a huge milestone for a market that essentially came into existence en mass 5 years ago with the introduction of the iPhone. One out of every seven people in the world has a smartphone. Let that sink in.
Originally invented by Nokia back in 1996 the smartphone, a phone that is basically a computer, has become the major dominating device in the communication market. And nearly all of it is taken up by the duopoly of iOS and Android with a smattering of Windows phones, BlackbBerrys and other assorted devices.
The massive number comes from the Boston based company Strategy Analytics, Bloomberg reports. “The number of smartphones reached 1.038 billion in the three-month period, a 47 percent increase from a year earlier.” Their report goes on to say that the number of smartphones in use will double by 2015.
“Smartphone penetration is still relatively low. Most of the world does not yet own a smartphone and there remains huge scope for future growth, particularly in emerging markets such as China, India and Africa.” So said Neil Mawston, the London based executive director of Strategy Analytics.
The growth of the smartphone industry is estimated by Bloomberg Financial to be 219 billion dollars over the last year. Both Apple and Samsung have racked up record profits. And of course Apple has broken new records with the release of the iPhone 5. It seems there is no where to go but up.