Smartphones outsell feature phones for first time
Apple's iPhone, along with Android-equipped phones, have helped drive smartphone sales.
Market analysis firm IDC, announced that feature phone shipments have declined sharply in the second quarter this year, as more consumers make the move to smartphones.
Figures show that feature phone shipments were down 29 per cent at 20.4 million units in the second quarter of this year, while smartphone shipments increased by 48 per cent to 21.8 million units compared to the same period a year ago. This means that smartphone shipments accounted for 52 per cent of all mobile phone shipments.
The new figures are likely due to smartphones penetrating lower budget markets, traditionally a haven for high-end feature phones, including those based on the declining Nokia Symbian operating system, with Android undoubtedly driving many sales here. Apple's iPhone has also proved a popular draw to people making the move from feature phones.
Meanwhile, mobile phone operators have also reduced the amount of subsidy they apply to feature phones, making them less attractive. According to IDC, feature phones are becoming a niche segment driven by very-low-end devices targeted at users who only need a phone for voice and texts.
Francisco Jeronimo, European mobile devices research manager at IDC explained that smartphones now dominate the Western European phone market and those vendors with stronger portfolios in the segment are consolidating their positions, compared with those manufacturers with less attractive smart devices.
Android-powered handsets from the likes of Samsung, HTC and Sony Ericsson have been able to drive strong volumes and to grab the biggest slice of share from the declining Symbian as Nokia moves to Windows Phones.'
Do you or anyone you know still use a feature phone regularly? What do you consider to be the main reasons behind not owning a smartphone? Let us know in the forum.
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Discuss in the forums ReplyAlso, use of the internet connection is not covered by usual "pre-paid" conditions here.
So people buy a Phone, load up 10€, use the net and get a bill over 1000€.
Legislation is slowly changing though, so we might get some interesting tariffs.
Also, roaming is ridiculously expensive.
What else do I need ?
dunx
no, it isn't. the keyboard on phones is much more practical. keyboards are so much faster to use, so much more responsive, and neither the keyboard nor your fingers get in the way of the screen. touch screens are good for navigation but otherwise they're just gimmicky and inefficient.
In your opinion.
I would say a capacitative touchscreen allows a user to type faster than on a mechanical keyboard simply by virtue of little to no resistance when registering the keypress.
Like a week standbytime@10 mins calls a day and some texts?
Occasionally I'd like to be able to look something up while on the road or in a restaurant but I can live with a bit of delay in looking up things - especially since waiting just a little is a lot more cost effective.
Giff Gaff rock.
She hated the buttons, she's very old, and using the touchscreen she can even send me messages, something that she didn't care about when she had old phones.
It's easier to use than old phones...
Go back to burning looms or something, this site is for tech enthusiasts.
You can be enthusiastic about some techs and not others.
FWIW I have had them since things like the PPC2002 HTCs, as we develop for them. For their primary purpose they're all just varying degrees of crap compared to the trusty do nothing Nokia. For everything else I use a little foresight about my day, a netbook, and a life.
Which I don't have a problem and isn't an issue for many people that I know.
It sounds like you're justifying your own inability to type fluidly on a touchscreen as a problem with the hardware as a whole.
I don't like mechanical keyboards but I'm not about to dress it up as anything other than personal preference.
No hate for Smartphones though...If there were plans here that cap your costs and give you unlimited* internet.
*(well it's probably capped severly, but that would be okay)
German providers tend to want either 30-50 pounds for data plans, OR do a price-per-mb that's unacceptable. I you dare turn on your phone while abroad...be ready to accuire life-long debts
Phone manufacturers aren't totally innocent, howcome i have a dedicated switch Bluetooth-on/off, and WLAN on/off but no "Everything BUT WLAN" off?
Using the GPS-function that uses GPRS-triangulation in the background can set you back tens of pounds in a foreign country without you knowing or wanting it.
It's a ripoff, really.
I have trouble getting my head around the idea that anyone would be a fan of Bit-tech but not respond to a phone as technically good and as cool as this.. but it takes all sorts, I guess!
Remember when mobile phones could run ALL WEEKEND on a charge? My that must have been...1998ish? :)
This is Bulls*** typing on my Lg Optimus 2x touchscreen phone is heavenly the buttons are so much easier to press compared to stupid qwerty keyboard phones where you press 1 button and end up pressing about 4 more by accident also they make a god awfull loud clicking noise (blackberry's)whereas on a touchscreen phone it requires no effort makes no noise when you type and the buttons are of good size so it's easy to type quickly and not press multiple buttons.
I pay 40quid a month to Vodafone for 750 mb data, unlimited texts and 1000 mins any network any time, i get 25mb a day data free whilst abroad in the EU and i get calls to 0870,0800,0845 etc etc inclusive for free within my mins. I have a Samsung galaxy s2, best phone ive had there is no need for a netbook, everything can be done on this. I would even consider getting the Samsung note... bigger screen :)
I even under-clock my processor to 0.8 GHz so i get more battery life out of it, and it doesn't affect performance at all.
All this and i have no need for a land line, netbook, if it wasn't for my obsession for online gaming i could probably get away with not having internet as my connection speed whilst at home is pretty nifty!
Not a bad offer, mayby it's just us getting shafted.
But:
a) do your included minutes/texts count abroad? (mine don't)
b) does your included free 25mb a day abroad work in any network, or just vodaphone's? (something often forgotten and used to rip you off abroad)
they are still mostly used for texts and calls, with the occasional pop onto the internet when not in range of a computer, i think the main big 'win' for them has been the games and GPS/sat nav systems, as the increased screen size has allowed you to see much more without eye strain,