DALLAS – Just how addicted are consumers to their smartphones? According to Parks Associates, enough to push annual global sales to over 300 million units by 2013, compared to 131 million units last year. The international market research firm expects the number of smartphone users to top 1.1 billion worldwide in 2013, creating a lucrative market for mobile carriers and application developers.
The draw of having both practical and entertainment applications in a mobile platform, as well as the ability to add new and unique applications and add-ons, has consumers hooked, Parks discovered.
“The appeal of the smartphone will create significant new revenue streams for carriers and developers who should strive to create new service bundles that build off this mobile platform with converged video, voice and data applications,” says Harry Wang, director of health and mobile product research for Parks.