Android Smartphones Still Maturing

A recent Neilsen study ranked smartphones as widely being accepted and growing among students. According to the report, as students headed back to school, more than one out of nine mobile subscribers replaced or upgraded their handsets (11%) during Q3 2013, and nearly fourth-fifths chose smartphones. In the U.S. smartphone market, smartphone ownership also continued to grow among students and recent grads, as 70 percent of teens (aged 13-17) and 79 percent of young adults (aged 18-24) now own smartphones.

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The report also indicates the OS market as becoming more established: nine out of 10 smartphone owners use Android and iPhone (iOS) handsets Between July and September, Android remained the leading smartphone OS, with 52 percent of smartphone owners using those handsets. Major device makers such as Samsung are generously profiting from the maturation of Android’s smartphone market.

The overall growth rate of maturing smartphones is expected to slow. These factors include mobile commerce, applications, online mobile internet and more. Studies are key indicators that the market is now beyond maturing penetration. The majority of consumers in the U.S. do own a smartphone. A “diffusion” curve is expected to arise. The ecosystem of the smartphones may lose its growth engines causing a reliance on retail same store sales.

Android and devices are expected to shift marketing to capture new audiences. With the maturity of the smartphone market, adoption is said to reach a late majority phase where user may choose not to replace their feature smartphones. These makers are seeking out maturation. With the slowdown of growth in smartphones, more owners are replacing their phones. The two handsets that were most favored are Android and iOS handsets.