IDC: Nearly 1 billion Android smartphones may be shipped this year, plus 180 million iPhones and 47 million Windows Phones

Least year, for the first time ever, more than 1 billion smartphones were shipped to customers around the world, according to IDC. For 2014, IDC forecasts that this number could grow to over 1.2 billion, with about 950 million smartphones shipped this year being based on Android (grabbing an estimated market share of 78.9%).

Apple could ship almost 180 million iPhones throughout 2014 (14.9% market share), the research firm says. As for Windows Phone, handsets based on it could account for 3.9% of the market in 2014 thanks to up to 47 million units shipped. Lastly, 11.9 million BlackBerry smartphones are expected to be shipped this year (1.0% market share). Other smartphone platforms may grab only 1.3% of the market share (15.1 million devices shipped).

Although the overall number of smartphones sold this year will grow, the growth rate is slowing. “2014 will mark the year smartphone growth drops more significantly than ever before,” says IDC.

The good news for customers is that the worldwide average selling price (ASP) of smartphones is expected to go down in the next years.

IDC forecasts that the ASP of Android handsets will be $247 in 2014. The ASP of Windows Phone devices is expected to be $265, while BlackBerry smartphones should be offered for an average selling price of $339. Apple’s iPhones will unsurprisingly remain the most expensive smartphones, with an estimated ASP of $649.

In 2018, Android handsets could have an ASP of $202, while Windows Phone’s ASP may drop to $195. iPhones will remain expensive, claims IDC, at an ASP of $610.

Overall, the average selling price of smartphones (regardless of OS) may drop from $308 in 2014 to $260 in 2018.

We already told you that Mozilla is planning to launch a $25 smartphone, while Google intends to sell handsets resulting from its Project Ara for as low as $50. Of course, it’s hard to believe that sub-$100 device can offer exciting features, but it’s good to see smartphones being accessible to more and more potential users.


source: IDC