Smartphone Users Top One Billion

[Maura]

AppleInsider reports today on a new survey from Strategy Analytics, which has found that the number of smartphones used worldwide has exceeded one billion for the first time ever, which is a hugely significant moment. The figure was surpassed at some point in the third quarter of 2012, which is just 16 years after the smartphone format was first introduced in 1996. Strategy Analytics considers the Nokia Communicator to be the world’s first smartphone, and say that it helped Nokia to lead the market until a certain smartphone called “iPhone” was launched by Apple in 2007. The rest, as they say, is history! AppleInsider writes that Strategy Analytics’ executive director, Neil Mawston, estimates that 1-in-7 of the world population had a smartphone in the third quarter of 2012, so there’s plenty of room for more growth.

“Most of the world does not yet own a smartphone and there remains huge scope for future growth, particularly in emerging markets such as China, India and Africa," Mawston told AppleInsider. "The first billion smartphones in use worldwide took 16 years to reach, but we forecast the next billion to be achieved in less than three years, by 2015.”

Source: Study finds smartphone users top 1B for first time ever