Smartphones are the most dynamic and interesting segment among mobile devices. They also are the fastest growing and lead to the most profit for wireless operators, manufacturers, and applications developers.

 

　　Experienced users and businesses are moving to this technology as entry level hardware prices drop. Smartphone users are experiencing significant value from their smartphones. As a result, they are downloading more applications and generating higher ARPUs.

 

　　While the segment will grow, it will not be evenly distributed among the six smartphone operating systems currently in use, nor is the growth of any OS predestined to succeed. Each has a very different approach to serving this market segment and there are many potential pitfalls.

 

　　The greatest factors for success are to have a vibrant developer ecosystem and effective standards committees. This report identifies the merits of these plans and closely examines the US market for smartphones.

•     Executive Summary

•     Introduction

•     The Global Smartphone Marketplace

o     Historical Sales of Smartphone Operating Systems

o     Functional Roles for Smartphones

   Desktop/Laptop Computer Extension

   Laptop Replacement

   Manufacturing Convenience for Feature Phones

   Desktop Phone Replacement

   Estimate of Primary Smartphone Applications

•     Smartphone OSs and their Global Ecosystems

o     Development Application Environments

   Java Mobile Edition

   BREW

o     Smartphone OS Developer Ecosystems

   Symbian

   Palm

   BlackBerry OS

   Windows Mobile

   Mobile Linux

•     Characteristics of US Smartphone Users

o     Usage by Smartphone Owners

   Applications among Smartphone Users

   Sales Channels

o     Behavior of Smartphone Users That Upgraded

•     Characteristics of Non-Users

•     Smartphone Future and Forecast

•     Methodology

o     Survey Demographics

•     Glossary

•     Related In-Stat Reports

 

List of Tables

•     Table 1. Global Sales of Smartphone Operating System Licenses (Units in Thousands)

•     Table 2. Smartphone Prices Listed as of September 2007

•     Table 3. Smartphone Forecast by Smartphone OS Type (Units in Millions)

 

List of Figures

•     Figure 1. Conservative and Optimistic Forecast for Smartphone OS Sales (Units in Millions)

•     Figure 2. Relative Proportion of Primary Applications Among Global Smartphone Users in 2007

•     Figure 3. Units Sales of Smartphones and Laptop Computers in 2006 (Units in Millions)

•     Figure 4. Smartphone OS Among US Respondents

•     Figure 5. Smartphone OS Market Share Among US Respondents

•     Figure 6. US ARPU Comparison for Smartphone and Feature Phone Users by Travel Amount

•     Figure 7. Brand of Smartphone Carried by Respondents in 2006 and 2007

•     Figure 8. Priorities Smartphone Users Gave for Choosing a Smartphone

•     Figure 9. Number of Applications Smartphone Users Have Downloaded

•     Figure 10. Applications Downloaded by Smartphone Users 20

•     Figure 11. Source of Smartphone for all Smartphone Brands

•     Figure 12. Sales Channel for Smartphones Sold in the US in 2006 and 2007

•     Figure 13. Sales Channel Used to Acquire Smartphone by Smartphone Brand

•     Figure 14. Loyalty to Operator, OS, and Phone Brand when Upgrading

•     Figure 15. OS Loyalty by Smartphone OS

•     Figure 16. Smartphone OSs Used by Palm Treo Users for 2006 and 2007

•     Figure 17. Justification for Not Using a Smartphone (Multiple Answers Allowed)

•     Figure 18. Benefits Smartphone Users Cite in 2005, 2006, and 2007

•     Figure 19. Respondents Perception of the Extra Cost of a Smartphone

•     Figure 20. Maximum Amount Respondents Would be Willing to Pay Extra for a Smartphone

•     Figure 21. Distribution of the Gap between the Expected Price of Smartphones and their Willingness to Pay Extra Among US Smartphone Non-Users

•     Figure 22. Likelihood of Buying a Smartphone Next Time Respondents Upgrade Among US Smartphone Non-Users

•     Figure 23. Smartphone OS Unit Sales Growth Globally (Units in Millions)

•     Figure 24. Global Smartphone OS Units Sales—Conservative and Optimistic Forecasts

•     Figure 25. Age of Respondent

•     Figure 26. Operator Usage Among US Respondents

•     Figure 27. Industries Which Employ the Respondents

•     Figure 28. Size of Business that Employs the Respondent

•     Figure 29. Amount of Travel Among Respondents