Thursday, March 04, 2010:
If you're among those who think that touchscreen phones are only available on high-end devices, think again! Gartner Inc estimates that the global market for touchscreen mobiles will cross 362.7 million units in 2010, a 96.8 per cent increase from the 184.3 million units sold in 2009. And by 2013, touchscreen mobiles will account for 58 per cent of all global mobile sales, and more than 80 per cent in high-end markets, such as North America and Western Europe.
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"Touchscreens are no longer the preserve of high-end devices and are now being included in many midrange phones as more companies have been driving the consumer market for affordable touchscreen phones," said Roberta Cozza, principal research analyst, Gartner. "As phone capabilities increase, consumers are becoming much more aware of the benefits of touch interfaces, and vendors are responding."
With this technology catching on with mobile phone vendors, many are now starting to deliver user interfaces (UIs) that are made specifically for touch input. Ms Cozza said that the craze for touchscreen devices skyrocketed with the success of the iPhone. This technology takes user-friendliness to new levels. Gartner predicts that both capacitive and resistive touchscreens will coexist for the moment in mobile phones. The main interface would be capacitive touch but resistive touchscreens will hold their own because they're cheap.
From a sales viewpoint, Asia/Pacific leads the pack for touchscreen mobile devices. In 2010, touchscreen mobile phone sales in Asia/Pacific are expected to cross 129.1 million units, accounting for 35.6 per cent of the global market. Western Europe and North America, on the other hand, are expected to account for 26.8 per cent and 24.4 per cent of worldwide touchscreen mobile phone sales respectively.
Ashish Joshi, EFYTIMES News Network
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