The next generation of mobile phones, dubbed ‘smartphones’, are set to be commonplace by 2007 and by 2008, most will have built-in digital cameras as the two handset technologies become merged into one.
However, according to a new report from
InStat/MDR, whilst these two mobile categories should have a bright future, there are still a number of hurdles that need to be overcome before mass adoption begins to take place.
Smartphones offer a range of wireless features, including email, web browsing, LAN connectivity and the remote control of computers. Unfortunately, high prices, technical glitches, a lack of compelling business and consumer applications and inadequate network capacity are all proving a hindrance to acceptance. In addition, the handsets themselves are often still quite bulky.
Camera phones, meanwhile, are suffering from poor image sensors, low memory for picture storage, short battery life and the need for improvements to picture sharing networks. Privacy concerns are also plaguing the market, according to InStat.
Despite these current drawbacks, the report forecasts that shipments of smartphones will grow by 94.5% on a compound annual rate between now and 2007. Phones with integrated digital cameras are expected to show an equivalent growth rate of 53.2% over the same period.
