CNET has an interesting report on the trends in sales of smart phones over the past year. Overall sales of mobile phones increased 17 percent year on year. However, smart phones showed a 48.7 percent increase as 54.3 million units flew off the shelves.The most interesting data in the report were in Table 2 (click on the graphic here to see a full size version). Note that ONLY the iPhone and Android phones increased their market share year on year. The report notes that the first quarter of this year was Apple's strongest yet, helped in part by overseas sales from mature regions, such as the U.K. but also in new markets such as China and South Korea.
Gartner's forecast for the near term suggests that the most successful companies will be the ones that control an integrated product in terms of operating system, hardware and services. To stay competitive, manufacturers must integrate hardware, the user interface, the cloud and social networks to continue to attract customers. Enough said. The challenge for Korean handset makers and mobile service providers should be apparent.