Canalys: Changing Times in the Smart Mobile Device Market

Canalys issues apress release that finds "shipments of converged smart mobile devices, namely smart phones and wireless handhelds, grew from 3.6 million in H1 2004 to 9.6 million in H1 2005, representing a 170% year-on-year rise." At the same time, "the EMEA mobile phone market excluding these converged smart mobile devices rose by only 11% over the same period."

Canalys analyst Rachel Lashford said, "The smart part has more than doubled in proportion, from 3.2% of the total cellular device market in the first half of 2004, to 7.5% a year later." Canalys expects combined shipments of smart phones and wireless handhelds in EMEA to hit 16.9 million unitsor 13% of the overall cellular device market in the first half of 2006.

Mobile e-mail is driving the market and leading the way in EMEA for the first half of 2005 were Nokia Series 60 handsets with over 80% of the market followed by Nokia’s keyboard-oriented Series 80 models accounting for another 13%. Windows Mobile, Palm OS and BlackBerry smart phone platforms combined to represent 5%. In the handheld device space, Windows Mobile was used on almost two-thirds of the devices with the other third taken up by RIM and the BlackBerry.

"RIM has enjoyed tremendous growth in EMEA over the past year, with total device shipments (smart phones plus wireless handhelds) up 130% in the first half of 2005. But it is seeing increasing competition from other players now as the market is proving to be so lucrative. With Nokia and Microsoft respectively announcing the Nokia Business Center and the Windows Mobile 5.0 Messaging and Security Feature Pack, the challenge will increase,” Lashford added.