Market analyst company VisionMobile just released a report that shows smartphones account for just 27 percent worldwide. The numbers are measured by OS and the findings show that areas offering generous 3G coverage and post-paid plans are where smartphones are most common. Pre-paid markets are dominated by price-oriented phones, with Nokia’s Symbian phones and RIM’s BlackBerrys at the top.
Android phones are rising, however, thanks to the wide range of price points. In North America, smartphones account for 63 percent of all cellphones, while Europe has 51 percent. Asia-Pacific has just 19 percent, while Africa/Middle East posts 18 percent and Latin America is at 17 percent.
The high-end smartphones are dominated by iPhones and Android handsets. The two are similar in that they both came from non-telecom companies and make money indirectly, with Apple from high-margin device sales and Google thanks to an enhanced online ad business. Neither looks like it will be displaced any time soon, as each has hundreds of millions of users.
