Worldwide Smartphone Growth To Slow In 2015, As China Reaches Saturation

The writing has been on the wall for some time, but analysts at IDC are again confirming today that the worldwide smartphone market will continue to see its overall growth slow in 2015. The firm says that global smartphone shipments will grow just 11.3 percent this year, down from 27.6 percent the year prior. The changes are attributed, in part, to the Chinese smartphone market reaching saturation, which will make 2015 the first year that China’s smartphone growth (2.5 percent) will be slower than the worldwide market.

China’s slowdown will also impact Android’s growth, IDC says, as the Google-developed mobile platform is also expected to see slower growth than the worldwide market at 8.5 percent in 2015.

It HAD to happen

Technology is not without its limit

Now, if they can develop a computer watch that freezes girls like the jap porn .... or turns into a molecular transportation device ..... MAYBE it can continue

I'm guessing the next innovation will be a flip phone that makes phone calls .... just guessin', though.

IDC claimed that the worldwide growth would be saturated in 2015 four years ago . . . Now they've moved it to 2019. They also predicted in 2011 that Windows Phone would have 34% of the market by 2015. . . Only missed that by a factor of 10. One of the other things this does not recognize is that what is being reported for Android is that all of the Android phones are NOT smart phones. This was revealed in early 2013 when Judge Lucy Koh ordered that Samsung reveal their product mix for the Apple v. Samsung patent infringement trial. Samsung was forced to show that their Android phones were mixed 30% smartphones, 40% Feature Phones, and 30% dumb phones. . . but all were reported as Android sales. Studies showed that all major suppliers of Android smartphones also supplied their Android phones in a similar mix. . . and many Android makers do not even offer a smartphone. Yet ALL Android phones are reported under the listing of "smartphones" because the OS is considered a smartphone OS, even though it may be stuffed into a phone that is not by any stretch of the imagination capable of smart functions.

On the other hand, 100% of the phones Apple sells are smartphones.

A bit off-topic, but I wonder if the Xiomi brand Chinese phone is coming to the US.

They make great phones at low prices.

If you’re not familiar with them, google “Xiomi” and read the hardware specs on the 4i, for example.

And with the top end hardware comes a low price of about $200.

Runs Android, but like the Samsung 6, they do not have a provision for a SD Card which is unfortunate because the 4i offers just 16GB of internal storage.

The rationalization is that media can be stored to the “cloud”, but I prefer to have it on my phone as well.

Other than that, the Xiomi and it’s various iterations is going to be a big seller if it comes to the US

I just upgraded to an inexpensive Chinese made ZTE ZMax.

Cost was $99.00 and about $122.xx out the door. (CA tax + activation fee)

1.25GHz Quad Core CPU
2GB RAM
16GB online storage (11.4 GB available for the user.)
8MP Rear Camera
2MP front Camera
5.7” Screen
Provision for the 64 GB SDCard I’m currently using
3,400 mAh battery
KK 4.4.4
etc...

I also have the $50 Unlimited Data plan (Metro PCS) and since I changed to MPCS and an Android phone 4 years ago, I’ve never had a dropped call like I constantly did with AT&T and my iPhone. And my plan cost over $70 a month back then as well.

My 4G LTE speeds range from 25-60 MBPS.

With technology growing so fast, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to spend $500 on a smart phone like a Sammy S-5, a phone that my Brother owns and he is a bit envious that I paid $400 less for a phone that is almost as good as his S-5.

I’m hoping that Xiomi brings their phones to the US.

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