There are now more than one billion smartphone users across the globe.
According to the latest report from Strategy Analytics, which follows the mobile industry, at the close of the most recent quarter the number of smartphone users reached 1.038 billion.
This is the first time that the firm has reported a total user base of greater than the all important one billion milestone. That means that on average, one in every seven people on Earth now own a smartphone.
Of course, if you were to dig into things on a more granular level, you’d find that in countries like America it isn’t out of the question for one person to own multiple smartphones, while in emerging countries the penetration rate is much lower.
“Most of the world does not yet own a smartphone and there remains huge scope for future growth, particularly in emerging markets such as China, India and Africa,” said Strategy Analytics executive director Neil Mawston.
The smartphone industry is worth some $219 billion, spearheaded by the top manufacturer Samsung and the maker of the #1 phone, Apple. There have been many ups and downs for a number of companies in the field. Nokia, for instance, had to climb its way back by ditching its proprietary operating system.
Research in Motion should probably follow suit but it is still clinging on to its Blackberry software. It is because of Android and iOS, though, that this industry has catapulted the way it has.
