Why Much Lower Prices will Drive Global Smartphone Upside

IDC analysts believe that as phablets gain in popularity, they expect to see vendors further expanding their portfolio of large-screened devices, but at much more affordable price points — compared to market leaders Samsung and Apple.

Source: Digital Lifescapes

Mobile Payments will Expand New eRetail Growth Worldwide

A combination of in-app purchases and website retail payments is projected to drive worldwide annual spend via Apple Pay and Android Pay to $8 billion in 2018 — that’s up from just $540 million this year.

Source: Digital Lifescapes

Smartwatch Market Reaches the Pivotal Stage of Growth

Smartwatch vendors shipped 3.5 million units in the second quarter of 2016 (2Q16), which was down substantially from the 5.1 million shipped a year ago. Apple held the top rank by shipping 1.6 million watches. However, it was the only vendor among the top five to experience an annual decline in shipments.

Source: Digital Lifescapes

156 Billion Mobile Apps Installed Worldwide During 2015

Mobile device users installed nearly 156 billion software applications (apps) worldwide in 2015, generating $34.2 billion in direct (non-advertising) revenue. According to IDC, these figures will grow to more than 210 billion installs and nearly $57 billion in direct revenue by 2020.

Source: Digital Lifescapes

How Savvy Smartphone Vendors Disrupted the Tablet Market

Seasonality combined with disinterested customers led to an annual decline of 14.7 percent in worldwide tablet shipments during the first quarter of 2016 (1Q16). Global shipments of tablets reached 39.6 million, according to the latest market study by International Data Corporation (IDC).

Source: Digital Lifescapes

Global PC Market Stagnation will Continue During 2016

Personal computer (PC) demand is still a major concern. Worldwide PC shipments totaled 60.6 million units in the first quarter of 2016 (1Q16) — that’s a year-on-year decline of 11.5 percent, according to the latest market study by IDC.

Source: Digital Lifescapes

Smartphone Market Growth Reaches Turning Point in 2016

In developed markets, people who want a smartphone have one. And, the majority don’t crave the new models. Demand for new devices still comes from the emerging markets that have yet to reach saturation. According to IDC, 2015 will therefore likely be the last year of double-digit growth.

Source: Digital Lifescapes

U.S. Mobile Service Provider Market Development Challenge

The vast majority of American mobile phone users already have a smartphone, many are using second or third-generation devices with a large display and ample storage for their needs. So, what’s missing in this scenario? Enough new customers to fuel ongoing demand for profitable mobile data services.

Source: Digital Lifescapes

Transition in Mobility Product Operating System Software

Demand for mobile devices also drives the associated software upside potential. Recent estimates show that 1.74 billion smartphones, media tablets, two-in-one PCs and notebooks shipped in 2015 — that’s a year-on-year increase of 5 percent, according to Canalys.

Source: Digital Lifescapes

40% of U.S. Smartphone Owners Use Voice Recognition Apps

Among smartphone users ages 18-24, 48% use voice recognition software, and use of the “Siri” voice recognition software among iPhone users increased from 40% to 52% between 2013 and 2015. This translates into 15% of all U.S. broadband households using Siri.

Source: Parks Assoc