Personalization and Unique Value of Smartphones to Push Global Sales to 310 Million Units in 2013

The consumer appetite for smartphones is skyrocketing and will push annual sales worldwide from 131 million units in 2008 to over 300 million by 2013, according to international market research company Parks Associates.

The firm’s new report Mobile Services: Global Outlook finds consumers are attracted to these converged devices because they combine practical and entertainment applications into a mobile platform, which can then be expanded incrementally with new and unique add-ons and applications like Breadcrumbz from the Google Android Market.

“Consumers have a personal connection to their phones,” said Harry Wang, Director, Health and Mobile Product Research, Parks Associates. “Apps like T-Mobile’s Sherpa will learn from its user’s preferences in order to make personalized, location-based recommendations on restaurants and shops. The latest iPhone release is making a strong case for mobile video, and with a little help from the Apple App Store, users can turn their phone into a lightsaber.”

Smartphone users worldwide will top 1.1 billion in 2013, creating a lucrative market for mobile carriers and mobile application developers.

“The success of the iPhone, Pre, and Blackberry shows the strength of consumer demand for an intelligent, multifunctional device,” Wang said. “The appeal of the smartphone will create significant new revenue streams for carriers and developers, who should strive to create new service bundles that build off this mobile platform with converged video, voice, and data applications.”

Parks Associates is launching a new consumer study Mobile Convergence: Platforms, Applications, and Services to explore smartphone users’ service and application usage patterns, handset feature and function requirements, and expectations for new mobile content and service experience.

“This study will uncover hidden consumer needs and help carriers, handset manufacturers, and application developers identify and quantify business opportunities in this fast-growing market segment,” Wang said.

Mobile Services: Global Outlook is Parks Associates’ latest industry report on global mobile market intelligence. It provides market trends in global carrier subscriber growth and handset sales and analyzes carriers’ voice and data service strategies.

www.parksassociates.com