The International Data Corporation (IDC) has made a reasonable amount of expectations, projections and observations for the quarters past, the quarters to come and the next four years and it seems that it’s definitely inclined towards a positive outlook for smartphones. The general consensus is that Samsung will see some very profitable years; Apple will stay on a steady and very consistent streak of success; RIM and the rest of the smaller companies will see some rough times and are expected to struggle to stay afloat.
The IDC had projected a small increase for the worldwide shipments of all types of mobile phones – nearly 1.4% – but a recent report countered this assertion, projecting smartphone shipments to total 717 million, a full 45% more than 2011. This has boosted optimism for the holiday season as well, with the IDC projecting fourth quarter shipments to total nearly 224.5 million smartphones, a bump up from 2011’s figures by nearly 39.5%. These sales will be primarily led by the Samsung Galaxy S3, Apple’s iPhone 5, and a range of other low-cost Android-powered phones.
This year, the IDC has projected a remarkable realignment among leading smartphone companies in the global smartphone market. Smartphones running Google’s Android saw incredible growth compared to last year, having leapt from 49% in 2011 to 68.3% in 2012. Apple’s iPhone range, while in no way losing the race to the top, has consistently held its 18.8% share in the global market, spelling consistency without the necessary innovation needed to secure the top position. RIM’s BlackBerry range of phones, on the other hand, is at a steady yet worrisome decline from last year’s 10% to the current 4.75%.
The IDC has also laid out its projections for the next four years articulately, stating that Microsoft’s operating system, Windows Phone, holds promise for being the fastest growing operating system, expected to rise from its current share of 2.6% to 11.4% in 2016. RIM’s BlackBerry, which has been showing steady shortcomings in the last few years, is expected to drop down to 4.1% by 2016. The two current leaders of the market will also see some drop in market share, with the iPhone remaining consistent and ending 2016 with 19.1% share. Android will also see a lowered market share of 63.8%..
