SPECIAL PART
4.1 Current trends in the field
The statistic depicts the forecast total unit shipments of smartphones worldwide from 2009 to 2017 with a forecast for 2018 and 2022. In 2017, smartphone shipments amounted to around 1.46 billion units.
Shipments for smartphones are expected to amount to around 1.45 billion by 2018, a tenfold increase from the amount of shipments in 2009. This means that by 2017, an estimated 31 percent of the world’s population will have a smartphone, a figure that was at less than 10 percent in 2011. This upturn in the smartphone market has developed it into a multi-billion dollar industry with revenue projected to reach almost 429 billion U.S. dollars in 2016.
The global success of this industry can be attributed to the growing popularity of several key operating systems, namely Android and iOS. By the end of 2016, these two companies held over 95 percent of the global smartphone market share, with Android alone controlling over 80 percent. This amounted to 352.67 million Android units and 77.04 million iOS units being shipped in the final quarter of 2016. The domination in the market from Android looks set to continue with the shipment of Android phones in 2016 expected to hit around 680 million units.
However, despite both Apple and Android being based in the U.S., it is the Chinese smartphone industry that looks set to dominate the market in the coming years. Forecasts predict that China will control just under a third of the smartphone market in 2017, in comparison to the U.S.’s estimated share of 12.1 percent.
GlobalSmartphone Market2019report provides key statistics on the market status of the Smartphone Manufacturers and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the Smartphone Industry. The Smartphone industry report firstly announced the Smartphone Market fundamentals:
type applications and market overview; product specifications; manufacturing processes; cost structures, raw materials and so on.
Smartphones have become a basic necessity and an integral part of the lives of almost all individuals worldwide. A smartphone is a mobile phone that functions like a computer. It typically has a touchscreen interface, Internet access, and an OS that can run application software or apps that are integrated with other devices and sensors to provide users information on a real-time basis. Smartphones can be used to perform applications, including making calls, instant messaging, taking pictures and videos, browsing the Internet, carrying out financial transactions, creating presentations, and analyzing data.
Smartphonemarket competition by top manufacturers/ Key player Profiled: Apple, Samsung, Huawei, OPPO, Vivo, Xiaomi, Lenovo, LG Electronics, Sony , ZTE, ASUSTeK Computer, BlackBerry, Gionee Communication Equipment, Google, Micromax, Microsoft, Nokia, OnePlus, Panasonic, аnd other. Market for Smartphone is expected to grow at a CAGR of roughly 20% over the next five years. Objective of Studies of market:
- to provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analysing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market.
- to provide insights about factors affecting the market growth. To analyse the Smartphone market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porter five force analysis etc.
- to provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast of the various segments and sub-segments of the Global Smartphone market.
- to provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective.
- to provide country level analysis of the market for segment by application, product type and sub-segments.
- to provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub- segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World.
- to track and analyse competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, new product developments, and research and developments in the Global Smartphone market.
4.2 Company policy in the market
To a considerable degree, and as a device manufacturer, Apple has been providing part of the infrastructure consumers need in order to access and use technology – through its laptops, smartphones, and tablet computers, to name a few. In establishing iTunes and the App Store, Apple could better control the ecosystem in which its devices operated. For example, apps that could be used by its devices would be vetted by Apple, and in a similar way, iTunes provided a means for music, movie, podcasts , and other content to be safely accessed in the Apple ecosystem.
In now offering Apple Arcade and Apple TV+, it appears that the company is moving into the content creation space. With regard to Apple Arcade, it is partnering with several developers to provide games for that subscription service. On the other hand, and for Apple TV+, the company has been bank-rolling the creation of original television series and similar content for that new service. Ultimately, and through the launch of those two new services, it appears that Apple is broadening its role from device manufacturer and ecosystem regulator, to now include content creator.
It could be argued that content creation is not a natural progression for a device manufacturer, but the fact of the matter is that in this day and age, content is where much of attention is placed. Once it is in place, the hardware and infrastructure tends to be overlooked, and content – what we are viewing and doing on our devices – comes to the fore.
Further, with consumers holding on to their devices for longer, at least two years, it means that after the initial one-time purchase, Apple is unlikely to see the
majority of its customers buying a new device for perhaps three years. Subscription services offer an excellent way for the company to remain connected to its customers, generate a recurrent revenue stream, whilst also fostering continuing brand loyalty.