The smartphone, like every other tech gadget before it, is maturing into commodity status. Growth is slowing and shifting from high-end sales in the U.S. and Europe to less profitable low-end handsets in emerging markets. The shift has prodded analysts to lower their outlook on Apple (AAPL) and Samsung. Both companies’ December-quarter smartphone sales missed expectations. “The smartphone is no longer an emerging technology,” said Jack Gold, an
Smartphone shipments among low-cost providers are growing at a faster rate than Apple (AAPL) and Samsung, a demonstration of saturation in the U.S. and other mature markets. Smartphone sales accounted for more shipments than other cellphones in 2013 for the first time, according to a report from research firm Gartner. Global smartphone sales rose 42% to 968 million units and accounted for 54% of all cellphone sales last year. In Q4, smartphones
In the smartphone Olympics, there are only gold and silver medals, no bronze. The third-place contestant gets a participation certificate, like players in a youth soccer league. The latest smartphone report from research firm IDC shows Google’s (GOOG) Android and Apple’s iOS continuing to grow at the expense of rival operating systems. In the fourth quarter, Android and iOS combined for 95.7% market share in smartphone unit shipments worldwide, up from 91.2% in the year-earlier period. The also-rans combined for 4.3% of the smartphone market in Q4, down from 8.3% a year earlier. Among the lesser mobile operating systems, Microsoft ‘s (MSFT) Windows Phone was tops with 3% market share, barely changed from 2.6% in Q4 2012, IDC reported Wednesday. Android accounted for 78.1% market share in Q4, up from 70.3% a year earlier. Android smartphone shipments increased 40.3% year over year in the fourth quarter. Apple ‘s (AAPL) iOS, only…