Smart Phones

The emerging market for smart phones, which can run computer-like applications such as navigation software, business-planning software, video and music, is set to grow to as much as 20 million units in 2004, according to market researchers and companies' estimates. The majority of these phones are expected to run on the Symbian operating system.
 
Investment bank Merrill Lynch has said Symbian controls around 80 percent of the current smartphone market. Its share could drop to 40 percent over time as Microsoft, smaller players and emerging operating systems like Linux grab share. Most phone producers still work with their long-time chip suppliers, such as Texas Instruments, STMicroelectronics and Philips. In October 2004, Intel and Nokia have decidet to jointly develop smart phones that run on the Symbian operating system.

Japan: The World's Most-Advanced Cellular Market

Dec. 2004: Japan is the world's most advanced 3G market (the service is in its fourth year). NEC, Panasonic, and Sharp are ahead in the mobile-Internet business but they are facing a rapidly maturing market where the average profit margins have slipped to just 4% (11 Japanese mobile-phone makers = cutthroat rivalry). The days of double-digit profit margins are over. The production cost of 2G phones was about 20% less than that of 3G handsets but the selling price is about the same. All of Japan's handset makers combined have a smaller share of the global market than Nokia alone: 16% for the Japanese, compared with 29% for Nokia. Factor out their home market, and the Japanese share drops to just 6% (less than Motorola's 14% or Samsung's 13%).
 
With their home market saturated, Japan's handset makers have to go after international markets to sell superior third-generation mobile phones. NEC, Sharp, and Sanyo already have prototypes that can display digital television streams, while Toshiba Corp. is developing a 0.75-inch hard disk for use in mobile phones. NEC is Japan's biggest phone maker, with 2% of the global market and 22% at home. NEC is selling 3G phones to carriers in Europe and this year expects overseas sales to grow to 40% of its total, from 10% in 2002. Now it's turning its attention to China, which is expected to begin granting 3G licenses next year. The company says it will ship 2 million phones to China this year and 3 million next year. Among them is the N900, the world's smallest mobile phone.

Mobile Phone with Fingerprint Recognition

Intelligent Mobile Phones for Seniors and Kids

Intriguing Wearable Devices

June 2003: Brilliant Mobile Phones

JAVA enabled phones

Java enabled phones allow games, information, financial services and many more applications to be downloaded via portals from the network operator. These can be stored, used continuously erased, or replaced with a different application.

Potential market segmentation


  Pioneer Achiever Materialist Sociable Traditionalist
High Price ++ ++ --- ++  
           
Mid Price --- ++ ++ ++  
           
Low Price   --- --- --- ++
 
++ = High Volume Potential
 --- = Low Volume Potential


 
NERO wearing the Adidog shirt
 
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