Smartphones Dominate Mobile Device Market, IDC Says

Written by Dan Kobialka 1
March 23, 2015

Smartphones will grow to represent the majority of total SCD shipments, according to the IDC. The technology market research firm's new forecast from its Worldwide Quarterly Smart Connected Device Tracker revealed smartphone shipments exceeded 1.3 billion last year and are expected to increase over the next few years. Here's everything you need to know.

Smartphones will grow to represent the majority of total smart connected device (SCD) shipments, according to the International Data Corp (IDC).

The technology market research firm’s new forecast from its Worldwide Quarterly Smart Connected Device Tracker revealed smartphone shipments exceeded 1.3 billion last year and are expected to increase over the next few years.

“Smartphone growth continues at an astounding pace, while growth in the PC and tablet markets is proving to be more challenging,” Tom Mainelli, IDC’s program vice president for devices, said in a prepared statement. “Ultimately, for more people in more places, the smartphone is the clear choice in terms of owning one connected device.”

Mainelli added that “it’s hard to overlook the dominant position smartphones play in the greater device ecosystem.”

Smartphones controlled nearly 71 percent of the worldwide SCD market last year, IDC said. Also, IDC noted that smartphone shipments increased by almost 28 percent between 2013 and 2014.

IDC made several predictions for the worldwide SCD market in 2019 as well, including:

Smartphone shipments will exceed 1.95 billion globally.
Smartphones will control nearly 78 percent of the worldwide SCD market.
The smartphone segment will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.5 percent from 2014 to 2019.

Additionally, Android controlled nearly 77 percent of the smartphone operating system market in the fourth quarter of 2014, followed by iOS (19.7 percent), Windows Phone (2.8 percent) and BlackBerry OS (0.4 percent), according to IDC.

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So what should consumers expect from the smartphone market going forward?

Melissa Chau, IDC’s senior research manager for mobile devices, said many consumers wanted premium smartphone brands and models in the past. However, she pointed out that consumers are increasingly “looking for greater value from a single device.”

What does the future hold for the smartphone market? Share your thoughts about this story in the Comments section below, via Twitter @dkobialka or email me at dan.kobialka@penton.com.