New research conducted by experts in the Smartphone, Wireless and Mobile Application industry shows that a majority of cell phone users in the United States now use Smartphone mobile devices compared to the “normal” cellular phone which was common in the past. This shift from cellular phones to Smartphone’s originally started with the introduction of the Blackberry but really started taking off to the general public when the iPhone was introduced.
A lot of factors can be linked to influencing the rise and demand for Smartphone’s but one of the most common reasons for the rising popularity of Smartphone’s can be traced back to the surge of mobile applications through mobile application development like android application development, iPhone application development that are now available for various Smartphone’s. These high-end mobile applications are not accessible on “Regular” cellular phone devices so one must own a Smartphone device in order to have access to the wide variety of mobile applications available on the market today.
The research conducted showed that over half of cellular phone users (53% to be specific) either currently use a Smartphone device or have a mobile device which operates on a Smartphone platform. To break it down even further, 20% of US cell phone owners currently have an Android Smartphone, 19% use an iPhone Smartphone and Blackberry is holding on with 6% of the market share. Unfortunately for Blackberry, they have experienced a 10% drop in users within the past year while the Android and iPhone has seen an increase in users. One of the key reasons for the steep drop in Blackberry can be linked to their poor mobile application marketplace which is far inferior compared to the Droid Mobile Application Marketplace or Apple’s iTunes Mobile Application Marketplace.
The biggest growth in Smartphone ownership can be found among adults aged 18 to 24 (up 18%) and the next highest growth was among those aged 45 to 54 (up 16%). After having a mobile application “Expert” analyze the Smartphone industry, he concluded that the main reason why adults from the ages of 18 to 24 are the highest adopters of Smartphone’s is due to mobile gaming and social networking. The ability to play mobile games on a Smartphone and also go through various social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin has added more fuel to the popularity of Smartphone’s compared to other cellular devices.
The Smartphone industry is certainly taking off and the popularity and demand for Smartphone’s is growing every day. A lot of this can be linked back to the rise of mobile applications within the past few years, specifically the popularity of mobile gaming applications and social media mobile applications. Where the Smartphone industry will go from here is unknown but early indications certainly show a bright future ahead for both the Mobile App development industry as well as the Smartphone Industry.