Many of the mobile carriers in the United States were waiting for handsets to be launched so they could sell them to smartphone users eager for something new and improved. That is what caused a slight decrease in sales in the last quarter according to some experts. Last quarter marks the first time ever that smartphone sales did not increase over the previous quarter. Morgan Keegan, a research firm, said the decrease in sales was partly blamed on the delayed release of the iPhone and other high-end Android handsets.
Over the next quarter or more, the sales are expected to increase and since the last quarter was down, the only direction is up from this point. The launch of the newest iPhone 4S, Samsung Galaxy S2 and the Motorola Droid will help to boost sales. Coming later this quarter are releases of the Motorola Droid Razr and Samsung Galaxy Nexus which will help put up big numbers throughout the entire next quarter. The iPhone 4S has reportedly sold over 4 million units and right now Apple is requiring customers to reserve the smartphone one day in advance of purchasing it.
Now that more and more customers are finally upgrading their feature phones to a smartphone, the sales have increased over recent years. The more smartphone users there is, the slower the sales numbers are going to get as more users settle in with their phones and 2-year contracts. The market will be saturated with new devices, but as new high-end devices give customers reasons to upgrade, they will do so over time. As users come out of two year contracts and look to upgrade, sales will be bumped up at that time as well.
Since users that own a smartphone will only upgrade to a high-end devices, the lower end cell phone numbers are the key to the market gaining each quarter instead of dipping like it did last quarter. Things like cheaper Android devices and the option to get an iPhone 4 for $100 will likely keep sales climbing as well. The iPhone 3GS is actually free if you sign up for a new two year contract. The low end phones are becoming better in quality and the high-end phones are coming down in price, both situations will likely boost sales over the course of the next year or more.
