According to IDC and its Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, in the first quarter of 2008, 2.02 million mobile devices were shipped to Australia, with 0.57 million of these being converged devices.
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IDC says that it expects that by 2012 converged devices will account for almost 50 per cent of all mobile devices shipped in Australia.
And according to Mark Novosel, Market Analyst, Telecommunications at IDC, although Nokia is the leasing vendor at present, it will be Apple and its iPhone that will pick up the lions share of sales in the end.
“Being a HSDPA device with GPS, coupled with Apple’s renowned design, the iPhone 3G will see strong initial demand and by the end of 2012 IDC expects Apple to have shipped in excess of 1.31M iPhones to Australia. It wouldn’t be unusual to experience stock shortages in the initial months after launch and given that the HTC Diamond and Blackberry Bold should be launching shortly after, frustrated consumers may quickly opt for other comparable devices.” said Novosel.
Pivotal features driving the converged device market include user interface design and the use of touch-screens. “People are after an immersive, rich and highly interactive mobile experience. It is no wonder we are seeing so much innovation centering around the user interface, with smooth flowing graphics, multi-touch and gesture-based control among the key innovations leading touch-screen user interface designs,” said Novosel.
IDC’s Q108 Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker also revealed that:
* Y/Y Shipments increased 39.2 per cent. Year-on-year total market shipments increased significantly from the same period last year. Consumers are continuing to upgrade mobile devices more frequently in their quest to keep pace with technology. Australia’s mobile replacement rate is expected to exceed 42.9 per cent in 2008, up from 40.7 per cent in 2007.
* Total 2008 shipments expected to surpass 2007. Q407 saw a rapid handset boom due to Telstra’s Next G migration. Consequently Q408 is expected to fall short of last year’s highs, however full year 2008 shipments are expected to exceed 2007 by 6.4 per cent, fuelled by a flurry of advanced and exciting new devices in the second half of the year and the launch of Optus and Vodafone’s national 3G networks.
* iPhone 3G to stir up the market. Apple’s newly announced 3G iPhone is expected to take 7.38 per cent of the converged device market by the end of 2012, as Australians continue to splash out on feature-rich converged devices. Further portfolio diversification and revolutionary new models could see this figure surpassed.
* Nokia maintains market dominance at 51.9 per cent Despite only minor changes in its product portfolio and a slight slip in shipments, Nokia has managed to maintain market share above 50 per cent for a second consecutive quarter. Compact and stylish devices remained most popular, and three of the top five Nokia devices were converged, an increase of one from Q4 2007.
* GPS remains on top of consumers wish lists. Nokia’s 6110 Navigator continues to outsell 99.4 per cent of all mobile devices on the market, despite being available in Australia for almost a year. Strong demand is expected to continue until the introduction of its successor, the Nokia 6210 Navigator, later this year. Other vendors such as HTC, Samsung and Sony Ericsson are also focusing more on GPS-enabled devices.
