Worldwide handset shipments totalled 107.6 million units in the first quarter of 2003, according to new findings from IDC
In its
Worldwide Handset QView, the IT and telecoms research company calculated that the market was down 12.4% in Q1 compared with the final three months of 2002. However, this was to be expected and shipments were actually up 16.6% year-on-year despite ongoing concern about the state of the telecoms sector.
“The evolution of colour displays, digital imaging and converged handheld devices continues to drive growth in the worldwide handset market,” said Ross Sealfon, research analyst in IDC’s Smart Handheld Devices programme. “Despite continued economic uncertainty, a strong first quarter supported by new technologies and form factors indicates healthy industry growth during 2003.”
Converged handheld devices or ‘smartphones’ have helped to drive growth with shipments of these products up by 33.7% in the first quarter of the year. The smartphone market has grown fourfold in the past year as more hi-tech devices have become available.
“At the true intersection of handsets and personal computing, the converged handheld device market is just beginning to grow,” said IDC analyst Alex Slawsby. “Improvements in device form factor, coupled with carrier subsidies, are now putting converged handheld devices within the reach of the everyday consumer resulting in a mass market volume opportunity.”
