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Although this year is slated to be tough for handset sales, the next one may be a little bit different story. ABI Research is cautiously optimistic about the 2010 figures, saying we could expect a flat growth, as opposed to this year’s at least 8% fall.
Naturally, some regions such as the Middle East and Africa will fare comparatively better, but volumes there are quite low. On the other hand, the Asia-Pacific region will suffer most in 2009, primarily as a result of its huge volume of shipments — roughly triple the next largest region. And stabilization, if it comes, will arrive there a little later than in North America and Europe.
The research’s company Kevin Burden says that there are telltale signs that at least some parts of the handset ecosystem may be starting to steady. “Many handset vendors are replacing component inventories after reducing them to very low levels in recent months to keep from overextending as the market dropped. This doesn’t necessarily mean the whole market is doing better, but it is good news at least for the component suppliers, some of which were really suffering,” he added.
More information about ABI Research’s newly updated “Mobile Device Market Share Analysis and Forecasts” report is available from their website.
About The Author
Dusan Belic
Dusan has been using smartphones since their introduction and is now following the latest trends in the industry. The "convergence" is what he's most excited about, and writing about it is the next logical thing to do. He thinks that using a smartphone is what everyone who cares about their time should do. In addition to his interests in mobile phones, Dusan also loves to experiment with the latest web and mobile 2.0 services. The idea of accessing and managing your information from any device no matter where you are simply amazes him. Whether it's an online to-do list, note taking service or a video sharing social network, he's there to try it out. He admits though, he's still searching for the ultimate web-based organizational tool, which "sings" perfectly with the mobile PIM application. Dusan used to run SymbianWatch.com which later became part of IntoMobile. He lives in Serbia, South-East Europe, from where he edits the site on a daily basis.
