Smartphones Take Lead Over Desktop PC's with Big Help from Android

[dgstorm]

Analyst Ramon Llamas from research group IDC released a report recently, indicating that smartphones have finally overtaken PC sales world-wide. Globally, there were 100.9 million smart phones shipped in the last quarter of 2010. This was an 87 percent jump from the previous year. PC shipments only gained a marginal 3 percent to 92.1 million, which was much weaker than analysts expected.

Yahoo! News had this to say,

Smart phone sales are also getting a push from growing interest in Google Inc.'s Android software, which powers dozens of phones made by HTC Corp., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. and others.

"Android continues to gain by leaps and bounds, helping to drive the smart phone market," Llamas said.

It's important to note the report also indicates these two events aren't directly linked as smartphones may perform some of the same tasks as PCs, yet PCs still perform functions that a smartphone cannot, like writing papers or editing photos and video. Furthermore, people tend to upgrade their phones more often than PCs simply because it is easier and cheaper to do so more often.

Still, it seems the lines between variant technologies continue to be "blurred" and eventually we will see a massive convergence. What sort of different devices would you guys like to see 'merged together'?

Source: Yahoo! News

 

[sb1831]

"The two trends aren't necessarily related, said IDC analyst Ramon Llamas. Smart phones and PCs serve different purposes, and consumers generally need both. PCs remain important for writing papers, editing photos and creating other kinds of content."

Correlation without causation. Enough said.

 

[Jaxidian]

What sort of different devices would you guys like to see 'merged together'?

I actually blogged specifically about this a month ago. I'd like to see, and think some day we'll move towards, a set of devices where your phone will be merged with your tablet and your laptop. I mean, really, what can a tablet do that a phone cannot do besides have a larger screen and more battery power? Might as well have your phone power your tablet (CPU, RAM, etc.). And of course we're quickly getting to the point where a smartphone will be powerful enough to really be a full computer, so why not have it power your laptop as well? That's what I'd like to see, but it will take some time before we're there. But we will start getting there in the next few years.

 

[kodiak799]

I actually blogged specifically about this a month ago. I'd like to see, and think some day we'll move towards, a set of devices where your phone will be merged with your tablet and your laptop.

I've been saying the same thing. Inevitably I think the smartphone will serve as the guts of a bunch of dummy devices.

Sure, you could do the same with a tablet or PC and a sort of dummy phone, but the smartphone wins because of mobility.

Still, the smartphone outselling the PC seems a bit surprising, but people can gets years out of a PC now where a couple years ago smartphones were a much smaller market, so it's playing catch-up as people arguably do need both (although we could debate whether many people really need a smartphone, as opposed to simply wanting one).

Granted, text/email seems to be the trend in the preferred form of communication. I don't really get it - nothing annoys me more than when friends send me multiple texts. If you got that much to say, just call me for crying out loud.

 

[dgstorm]

Granted, text/email seems to be the trend in the preferred form of communication. I don't really get it - nothing annoys me more than when friends send me multiple texts. If you got that much to say, just call me for crying out loud.

lol.... I completely agree Kodiak! It urks me to no end when friends send me a series of texts the size of novels. I think... this would have been expressed more efficiently with a simple phone call that would have taken less than half the time. <sigh> Are we getting old Kodiak?

 

[Jaxidian]

lol.... I completely agree Kodiak! It urks me to no end when friends send me a series of texts the size of novels. I think... this would have been expressed more efficiently with a simple phone call that would have taken less than half the time. <sigh> Are we getting old Kodiak?

I'd say that it depends. If I'm communicating to somebody and I'm in a meeting (can't exactly make a phone call there) or am at a ballgame (can't exactly hear a phone call there), then a novel-sized text makes sense. Otherwise, yeah, a phone call makes more sense. That said, airtime vs free SMS is perhaps a factor for some.

I don't care, though, since we tend to use ~400/1400 minutes (occasional spikes from using my cell for work which is why I have the 1400 minutes).

 

[kodiak799]

<sigh> Are we getting old Kodiak?

Appears so. There are certainly times, as the poster above mentions, where a text makes sense. But those times are really somewhat few and far between.

It will be interesting to see how some of these kids end-up doing in the business world where verbal communication is still critical to success. Of course, the business world will probably evolve with them too.

LOL, I had a boss who used to call me all the time. Doesn't seem out of the ordinary, until you consider his office was right next to mine and he could have just peaked his head around the corner, or yelled.

 

[Bigaliensexmachine3000]

Ya'll mofos gettin old as dirt, cuz!

 

[bazar6]

lol... to the OP question, I like the ideas everyone else have posted, and it kinda goes in line with the Atrix, except it really isn't being 'merged', they're getting there with baby steps. I too would like to see a laptop/tablet 'shell' that is powered by my phone (but not by it's battery!!). but if this were to happen, I'd like to see the OS' get a little more advanced before, or right after, this happens, because I want to be able to edit photos and videos on it like I can on my laptop, and I don't mean like the mobile PS or VidTrim, I'm talking like PS CS5 Extended and Final Cut (I'd even settle for Express, but not a 'mobile' like PS)

 

[DroidMastar2]

I actually blogged specifically about this a month ago. I'd like to see, and think some day we'll move towards, a set of devices where your phone will be merged with your tablet and your laptop.

I've been saying the same thing. Inevitably I think the smartphone will serve as the guts of a bunch of dummy devices.

Sure, you could do the same with a tablet or PC and a sort of dummy phone, but the smartphone wins because of mobility.

Still, the smartphone outselling the PC seems a bit surprising, but people can gets years out of a PC now where a couple years ago smartphones were a much smaller market, so it's playing catch-up as people arguably do need both (although we could debate whether many people really need a smartphone, as opposed to simply wanting one).

Granted, text/email seems to be the trend in the preferred form of communication. I don't really get it - nothing annoys me more than when friends send me multiple texts. If you got that much to say, just call me for crying out loud.

people don't need a smarphone... it's the new thing. It doesn't seem surprising to me at all. The sales are so high because smartphones are cheaper and a new phone is released every month, as well as advertising for smartphones being almost/if not viral. So if you can get a new smartphone when you upgrade for FREE or for $50 it's a bit more feasible, not to mention computers (though there are constant upgrades) last for a few years. Along with that, in todays society having a cell phone is almost a necessity, business revolve around communication over cell phones, and families communicate through cell phones. So many different variables that would point towards Smartphone sales being dominant.

 

[kodiak799]

people don't need a smarphone... it's the new thing. It doesn't seem surprising to me at all. The sales are so high because smartphones are cheaper and a new phone is released every month, as well as advertising for smartphones being almost/if not viral. So if you can get a new smartphone when you upgrade for FREE or for $50 it's a bit more feasible, not to mention computers (though there are constant upgrades) last for a few years. Along with that, in todays society having a cell phone is almost a necessity, business revolve around communication over cell phones, and families communicate through cell phones. So many different variables that would point towards Smartphone sales being dominant.

All true, but it's the $30 data plan most can't afford. That, of course, doesn't stop the almighty US consumer with a credit card.