It is indeed the smartphone era, according to a report released by Canalys today, total annual global shipments of smart phones exceeded those of client PCs (including tablets) for the first time.
Manufacturers shipped a total of 488.0 million smartphone units last year; on the other hand, global client PC shipments were just 414.6 million units.
“ Smart phone shipments overtaking those of client PCs should be seen as a significant milestone. In the space of a few years, smart phones have grown from being a niche product segment at the high-end of the mobile phone market to becoming a truly mass-market proposition. The greater availability of smart phones at lower price points has helped tremendously, but there has been a driving trend of increasing consumer appetite for Internet browsing, content consumption and engaging with apps and services on mobile devices.”
– Chris Jones, Canalys VP and Principal Analyst
On the smartphone OS front, Android is maintaining its lead. Here is quick table to give you the shipment details.
