IDC Sees 2015 as First Year of Only Single-Digit Smartphone Growth

IDC sees 2015 as the first full year of only single-digit worldwide smartphone sales growth, it said in a Thursday forecast update report. IDC predicts global smartphone shipments will grow 9.8 percent in 2015 to 1.43 billion units, it said. The forecast reflects a slowdown in growth in most Asian markets as well as in Latin America and Western Europe, it said. “China has been the focal point of the smartphone market in recent quarters as its economic slowdown has dampened worldwide growth due to the sheer size of the market,” IDC said. With the smartphone market “finally slowing” to single-digit year-to-year growth, maintaining market momentum will depend on “the success of low-cost smartphones in emerging markets,” it said. “This, in turn, will depend on capturing value-oriented first-time smartphone buyers as well as replacement buyers.” IDC sees Android smartphones finishing 2015 with a 9.5 percent global shipment increase to 1.16 billion units, enough for an 81.2 percent market share, the firm said. Shipments of iPhones will rise 17.3 percent this year to 226 million units, for a 15.8 percent share, it said. IDC sees Windows Phone shipments declining 10.2 percent to 31.3 million units for a 2.2 percent share, it said.