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.