China To Surpass U.S. As World’s Smartphone Leader

By  |  September 5, 2012
 | 

For the first time in the relatively brief history of smartphones, the United States will not hold the largest percentage of market shares within the industry.

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    According to study done by the International Data Corporation, China will overtake the U.S. as the world’s smartphone leader in 2012. The study used shipments to determine the market shares of the world’s five largest smartphone users.

    What else did the study reveal or predict about smartphone usage around the world?

    China Takes The Lead
    The IDC study found that China had the second-highest share of smartphone shipments in 2011 with 18.3 percent of the market share, but that they’ll finish first with 26.5 percent in 2012. By 2016, China figures to have a 23 percent share as some other burgeoning economies become major players in the smartphone industry.

    Why The U.S. Is Falling
    The United States will decrease from a 21.3 percent share in 2011 to 17.8 percent this year, but that doesn’t mean people are buying fewer smartphones – rather, IDC believes China’s population advantage is finally pulling the company into first. The IDC also credits China’s sub-US$200 Android buyers with helping to shift the U.S. into second place.

    India, Brazil Coming On Strong
    While China may soon have the biggest market share of smartphone shipments, India and Brazil have the highest projected compound annual growth rates (CAGR) between 2011-2016. India is expected to increase from a market share of 2.2 to 8.5 percent over that time span, while Brazil will increase from 1.8 to 4.4 percent. So while they may be growing the fastest, don’t expect either country to challenge China or the U.S.

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    Everyone Else
    How does the rest of the world stack up against the four aforementioned countries (minus the U.K.)? All other countries combine for 46.4 percent of the smartphone market share in 2012, but that number is projected to decrease slightly to a flat 46 percent. Overall, other countries will see a combined CAGR of 18.1 percent.

    To see more statistics and analysis from IDC, read here.


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