Smartphone + Tablet Markets Set To Grow

Smartphones and tablets now account for six out of every 10 smart connected consumer devices in the market, up from 17 percent in 2008.

According to new analysis released by IHS Markit, the global smartphone installed base will grow from 4 billion in 2016 to more than 6 billion smartphones in use by 2020. In line with that, messaging and communications apps will grow from 5 billion users in 2016 to 7.5 billion by 2020.

“Mobile innovations, new business models and mobile technologies are transforming every adjacent market as the mobile industry diversifies from the maturing smartphone market,” said Ian Fogg, director at IHS Technology. “Revenues for smartphones shipped in 2020 will total $355 billion.”

Global consumer spending on mobile apps is set to reach $74 billion by 2020 up from $54 billion in 2016, according to IHS, with Africa, the Middle East and Latin America the fastest-growing regions for mobile app spending.
The growth in smartphone penetration is also disrupting the traditional payments and financial services industries.

There were more than 120 million active mobile money accounts in emerging markets in 2016, according to the IHS analysis, and the number of addressable smartphones for device-based payment services will increase from 2.7 billion in 2016 to more than 5 billion by 2020.

About Post Author

David Richards

David Richards has been writing about technology for more than 30 years. A former Fleet Street journalist, he wrote the Award Winning Series on the Federated Ships Painters + Dockers Union for the Bulletin that led to a Royal Commission. He is also a Logie Winner for Outstanding Contribution To TV Journalism with a story called The Werribee Affair. In 1997, he built the largest Australian technology media company and prior to that the third largest PR company that became the foundation company for Ogilvy PR. Today he writes about technology and the impact on both business and consumers.