More Than 1 Billion Android-Based Smartphones To Ship In 2017

Over 1.5 billion Android-based smartphones are expected to ship worldwide in 2017. According to Canalys, smart phones will account for 73 percent of all mobile phone shipments. Only smartphones are expected to ship within North America and Western Europe. In China, smartphones represent 95 percent of mobile phone shipments for 2017.

The mobile device market is the fastest growing market sector today being let by smartphone users worldwide. Wireless Intelligence had stated in its report "1.5 billion subscribers will be added to 3G networks in the next two years." The smartphone market is expected to grow to 18.3 percent compounded annually through 2016. It is estimated that 1 in 7 of the world's population owned a smartphone in the third quarter of 2012. Global growth has yet to penetrate in the market. It is forecasted the next billion growth of smartphones to be achieved in less than three years, by 2015.

" Worldwide smartphone sales rose 43 percent last year, down from 58 percent in 2011 and 72 percent in 2010, the year that they really took off, following increases of just 24 percent in 2009 and 14 percent in 2008." via Gartner.

Qualcomm’s platform, Snapdragon, is already seeing industry-leading growth. There is an estimate of 420 different devices using Snapdragon with 400 models in the making. The company is one of the best in growth at a reasonable price. Opportunities in industry and it's 4G efforts will be even more appealing to investors long term. "In general, the markets growing like crazy," Qualcomm President Steve Mollenkof stated to CNET. The demand is strong for both high and low end phones. In the U.S., companies are increasingly including 4G LTE in their products and emerging markets benefiting from transition to 3G to 2G. Qualcomm's 3G and LTE multimode chip shipments jumped 90 percent from the September quarter to the December period. Qualcomm is bullish on global demand for 3G and 4G devices with reported solid results last quarter and management providing a strong outlook for 2013 based on the rapid transition from 2G to 3G in China and India. Qualcomm presently has 50 percent market share in smartphone application processor and 86 percent market share in LTE cellphone modems markets.

The challenges impose slowing growth, as well as the upside being consequences of dynamic shifts in technology that either drive sales or constrain them. Smartphones did not go mainstream until more consumers from developed markets were able to use the Internet at faster 3G speeds transforming technologies as a result.

Qualcomm

We are also beginning to accept BYOD in management and within the company now as an enabler. Android tablets are beginning to catch on and there is increase in productivity levels and more potential in BYOD. BYOD definitely delivers efficiency. There is competition aggressively with Android-based  mobility initiatives. BYOD is an enabler to achieve tangible business benefits. Companies that recognize the value of mobility as an enabler of business transformation to drive greater efficiency, agility and customer engagement are poised for growth.

Consumer Growth

Consumer growth expectations are demanding. Growth will arise from upgrading existing smartphones to latest models evolving from 3G-long-term evolution, or LTE. Consumer adoption presently is for younger and wealthier consumers that are technologically savvy, demanding LTE. Those organizations that continue to innovate and introduce new innovations will have competitive leverage to convince consumers to upgrade their phones.

Smartphone Global Mobile Growth

The mobile market is evolving at a rapid pace. Further developing Qualcomm's new low-power display technology for mobile devices will help drive user adoption of Android smartphones and tablets as well increase in sales in mobile chipsets. Mobile market growth is being driven by demand developing world, led by rapid mobile adoption in China and India. Subscribers are expected to reach 6.9 billion by the end of 2013 and 8 billion by the end of 2016.