/
Navigation
Chronicles
Browse all articles
Explore
Semantic exploration
Research
Entity momentum
Nexus
Correlations & relationships
Story Arc
Topic evolution
Drift Map
Semantic trajectory animation
Posts
Analysis & commentary
Pulse API
Tech news intelligence API
Browse
Entities
Companies, people, products, technologies
Domains
Browse by publication source
Detection
Concept Search
Semantic similarity search
High Impact Stories
Top coverage by position
Sentiment Analysis
Positive/negative coverage
Anomaly Detection
Unusual coverage patterns
Analysis
Rivalry Report
Compare two entities head-to-head
Semantic Pivots
Narrative discontinuities
Crisis Response
Event recovery patterns
Connected
Search: /
Command: ⌘K
Embeddings: large
TEXXR ▲
TEXXR

Chronicles

The story behind the story

← → days · ↑ ↓ browse · Enter similar · o open

More Smartphones Were Shipped in Q1 2013 Than Feature Phones, An Industry First According to IDC

The worldwide mobile phone market grew 4% year over year in the seasonally slow first quarter of 2013 (1Q13) as smartphones outshipped feature phones for the first time.

IDC

Context & Ripple Effects

The crossover follows a smartphone-led mobile-phone boom in 2011 and IDC's 2012 finding that Android- and iOS-powered devices were expanding their market share. With total mobile-phone shipments up only 4% year over year in Q1 2013, the milestone signals a change in the mix of demand, not merely a rising handset market.

First-order effects

  • Smartphone vendors move into the majority of global handset shipments, while feature-phone makers face a shrinking share of a mobile market growing only modestly.
  • Android and iOS device makers gain a larger installed-device pipeline as buyers increasingly enter the market through smartphones rather than basic handsets.

Second-order effects

  • Handset competition shifts further toward smartphone price, software, and ecosystem differentiation, raising pressure on vendors whose portfolios are concentrated in feature phones.
  • Mobile developers and service providers have a broader addressable base for smartphone applications and data-centric services, making platform reach more consequential.

Third-order effects

  • If the mix shift persists, the mobile industry becomes organized less around voice-centric handset replacement and more around software platforms distributed through smartphones.
  • The earlier expansion of Android and iOS points toward platform concentration: hardware vendors' access to competitive operating systems and app ecosystems becomes a central determinant of their position.

The trend: Global mobile demand is transitioning from feature phones to software-platform smartphones, shifting industry leverage from basic handset supply toward operating systems and ecosystems.

Related: Worldwide Mobile Phone Market Grew 20% In Q1 2011, Fueled By Smartphones · Android and iOS Smartphones Expand Market Share

Related Coverage