Smartphone shipments set to soar

The majority of consumers are willing to make do with less functionality in order to carry just one digital device, such as a smartphone, according to findings from Jupiter Research.

As a result, smartphone shipments will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 28 per cent through to 2009, by which time they will account for 9.3 per cent of handsets sold compared to 3.7 per cent last year, the analyst predicted.

But smartphones will not replace other dedicated devices such as media players, cameras or game devices, Jupiter Research said.

The majority (62 per cent) of consumers prefer to carry a single device that adds additional features beyond telephony, even if those features require compromises on size or battery life.

But three quarters of consumers said that telephony remains the most important feature of a mobile device, "clearly indicating" that any combination of advanced features must not compromise telephony, the analyst warned.

"Although our research indicates that consumers will carry up to three devices, they still prefer to carry a single integrated device to provide mobile functions," said Michael Gartenberg, Jupiter Research vice president and research director.

"The key is understanding what features are important to consumers in a given context and delivering them while being careful not to compromise on the key mobile feature, telephony."