Smartphone Shipments to Surpass One Billion for First Time Ilana Lemack 4th period

Summary
Smartphone shipments are expected to surpass one billion for the first time ever this year. In 2012 the mobile phone growth rate was 1.2% and is expected to reach 7.3% in 2013 as the demand for smartphones grows stronger in developed and emerging markets. The predicted growth for 2013 was only 5.8%, so it was higher than expected. Smartphones are also expected to grow a faster-than-expected 40% year-over-year, by 2017, shipments for smartphones are expected to reach 1.7 billion, giving them virtually total share of the mobile phone market in many of the world’s most developed economies. Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android, are on track to remain the top two operating systems.

Analysis
Personally, I would never have imagined that smartphones would into a world-wide phenomenon. Over a 6% growth in less than a year? That is crazy to think that there are so many people around the world that are so obsessed with technology (I am of course guilty of this). I got my first phone when I was in 5th grade, and it was a flip phone. These days kids in 2nd grade are getting brand new iphones. I think it is a little sad that society is so connected to social media and the internet that we need to have it in a handheld device that is basically glued to our hand. I also think its kind of sad that people are able to predict that this number will keep rising, which means more and more people will continue to become "addicted" to their smartphones. Maybe its doesn't seem like that sever of a topic, but to me its just sad that so many people rely so heavily on a cell phone. 

http://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/2013/09/04/smartphone-shipments-to-surpass-1-billion-for-first-time-ever/?cmpid=ac_ywtm