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Smart mobile device shipments hit 118 million in 2007, up 53% on
2006
- Apple takes third place in global hardware market in Q4
Singapore and Reading (UK) - Tuesday, 5 February 2008
For immediate release
Annual highlights
- Converged device shipments (smart phones and wireless
handhelds) rose 60% to hit 115 million in 2007
- Shipments of handhelds fell 47% to 3.0 million, from 5.6
million in 2006
- APAC is the largest region by volume – 47.9 million units in
2007, ahead of EMEA at 45.9 million
- North America is growing fast – shipments doubled to 20.9
million, from 10.3 million in 2006
- Nokia remained global market leader, shipping 60.5 million
smart phones
- RIM shipments grew 112% year-on-year to 12.2 million,
strengthening its second place position
- By OS provider, Symbian leads on 67% share, followed by
Microsoft on 13%, with RIM on 10%.
Q4 highlights – converged devices
- Converged device shipments rose 72% year-on-year in Q4 2007,
the highest growth seen all year
- Nokia and RIM retained their number one and two positions
- Apple achieved third place despite its limited geographic
coverage, with 7% share
- APAC converged device shipments rose 23%, EMEA 79%, and
North America 222%
- Symbian leads with 65% share, ahead of Microsoft on 12%, RIM
on 11%, Apple on 7%, and Linux at 5%
Highlights from the Canalys research
The latest market data from analyst firm Canalys shows how much
the converged device market (all smart phones and wireless
handhelds) has grown over the past year. These, typically high-end,
devices represented around 10% of the global mobile phone market by
units in 2007, with annual growth of 60% making them one of the
fastest growing segments of the technology industry. Year-on-year
growth climbed every quarter throughout 2007, to reach a peak of 72%
in Q4.
Apple’s entry into this market in 2007 with the iPhone sparked a
lot of media attention and speculation about how much it could
disrupt the status quo and take share away from companies such as
Nokia, RIM, Palm and Motorola. “When you consider that it launched
part way through the year, with limited operator and country
coverage, and essentially just one product, Apple has shown very
clearly that it can make a difference and has sent a wakeup call to
the market leaders,” said Pete Cunningham, Canalys senior analyst.
“What it must demonstrate now is that it can build a sustainable
business in the converged device space, expanding its coverage and
product portfolio. It will also need to ensure that the exclusive
relationships that got it so far so quickly do not prove to be a
limit on what it can achieve. Apple’s innovation in its mobile phone
user interface has prompted a lot of design activity among
competitors. We saw the beginnings of that in 2007, but we will see
a lot more in 2008 as other smart phone vendors try to catch up and
then get back in front. Experience shows that a vendor with only one
smart phone design, no matter how good that design is, will soon
struggle. A broad, continually refreshed portfolio is needed to
retain and grow share in this dynamic market. This race is a
marathon, but you pretty much have to sprint every lap.”
Canalys estimates that Apple took 28% share of the fast growing US
converged device market in Q4 2007, behind RIM’s 41%, but a long way
ahead of third placed Palm on 9%. This was also enough to put Apple
ahead of all Windows Mobile device vendors combined, whose share was
21% in the quarter according to Canalys figures. In EMEA, where the
iPhone officially launched part way through the quarter in only
three countries, Apple took fifth spot behind Nokia, RIM, HTC and
Motorola, but ahead of several established smart phone providers
such as Sony Ericsson, Samsung and Palm.
For the full year 2007, as in 2006, the Asia Pacific region was the
biggest in volume terms for converged device shipments. Apple has of
course not yet launched the iPhone in the region, and many vendors
who are successful in other parts of the world, such as RIM and
Palm, have also made relatively little impact there so far. Nokia
continues to lead in the region, with more than 50% share in
converged devices, ahead of Japanese smart phone vendors Sharp and
Fujitsu. Motorola, despite enjoying fourth place, has seen its
Linux-based smart phone shipments in the region fall 28% from their
high in 2006.
“The mobile Linux opportunity remains just that – an opportunity,”
added Rachel Lashford, manager of Canalys in APAC, “Total
Linux-based phone shipments in 2007 were almost flat on 2006. There
is still too much fragmentation and not enough momentum for any
single open standard around which the energy of developers,
manufacturers and operators can coalesce.”
Nokia’s recent announcement of its intention to acquire Trolltech
will no doubt have raised questions among some of Trolltech’s mobile
phone producing partners about their Linux implementation strategy
going forward. Meanwhile Google’s Android initiative, like others
before it, remains an idea yet to turn into viable commercial
products widely accepted by both mobile network operators and the
mass market. Although off to a slow start, Canalys expects Linux
will account for a significant proportion of mobile phone shipments
within the next few years.
Lashford continued: “Rising consumer interest in having a rich,
high-speed browsing experience on a mobile device, and the demand
for visually sophisticated navigation and location applications will
attract more companies into this arena. Flattening mobile data
costs, and the advertising-funded possibilities generated by
location-based services, will help reduce usage barriers.
Improvements in the underlying technologies and innovation in user
interfaces will lead to more usable devices. All these factors will
help push the high-end mobile phone and smart phone segments
forward. Meanwhile supply-side concerns around time to market and
build and support costs will drive the industry to look for
economies of scale. Mobile Linux can have a big part to play in this
future, but at the moment the maturity of the other mobile operating
systems puts them a long way ahead.”
In Q4 2007, Canalys estimates that Symbian had a 65% share of
worldwide converged device shipments, ahead of Microsoft on 12% and
RIM on 11%. By region, Symbian led in APAC and EMEA with 85% and 80%
shares respectively, while in North America RIM was the clear leader
on 42%, ahead of Apple on 27% and Microsoft at 21%.
About the Smart Mobile Device Analysis services
The shipment estimates discussed in this release come from the
market-leading Canalys Smart Mobile Device Analysis Worldwide
service. Canalys’ globally consistent smart mobile device product
segmentation and definitions are used by vendors the world over to
provide a coherent view of the total market for smart phones,
handhelds and wireless handhelds. Clients receive quarterly market
updates, regular reports, trends presentations and forecasts, and
direct access to the Canalys analysts. Canalys offers services
looking at the smart mobile device markets by country in Asia
Pacific, North and Latin America and EMEA, as well as providing
global market overviews. It also has services focusing specifically
on the rapidly developing markets for mobile navigation and
Linux-based mobile phones, and survey-based analysis of consumer and
enterprise attitudes and preferences toward mobile applications,
products and services. More information is available from the
Canalys web site.
About Canalys
Canalys specialises in delivering high quality market data,
analysis and advice to the world’s leading technology vendors. It is
recognised as a key provider of continuous advisory services and
confidential custom projects for marketing managers and strategists
within blue-chip IT, telecoms, navigation and consumer electronics
companies. It has unrivalled expertise in routes to market for all
kinds of high technology products and services in the consumer, SMB
and large enterprise segments, and provides worldwide market data
and trends analysis.
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