The 2013 seems to be the year of the smartphone. Indeed, there are hardly any non-smart phones available anymore, with the lower end of the market dominated by cheap Android handhelds.
2013 was a very good year for smartphone manufacturers.According to a report released by analytic firm IDC, more than 1 billion smartphones will have been shipped by the end of the year. This figure represents a massive 40% increase from 2012! But the firm sees that number continuing to grow, estimating a 1.7 billion units shipped by 2017, or an 18.4% annual growth rate from 2013-2017.One of the major reasons for the increased shipping number is the lower average prices for smartphones. IDC reports a 12.5% decrease in smartphone pricing for 2013 Q3.While the current average price is $317, IDC expects that number to further decrease by 2017 at $265.
Android of course continued its global mobile dominate with 81% of smartphones shipped in 2013 Q3 powered by some flavor of the Android OS.
Apple`s iOS was second, running on 12.9% of smartphones sold during the same quarter. Windows Phone was third, occupying a mere 5% share of smartphones shipped in 2013 Q3, yet Microsoft`s OS had a massive 156% increase year-over-year, giving very good prospects for the coming years, and more so after Microsoft`s Nokia acquisition.
As expected, BlackBerry`s share of smartphones shipped in the same quarter was a weak 1.7% compared to the 2012 Q3 4.1%
