Good news for Pre: Smartphone Demand Still on the Rise
Palm has said repeatedly that they're not concerned about Palm Pre sales numbers because the smartphone market is growing fast enough to accommodate multiple players. So it should come as no surprise that the demand for smartphones is on the rise.
According to international market research company Parks Associates, "consumer appetite for smartphones is skyrocketing and will push annual sales worldwide from 131 million units in 2008 to over 300 million by 2013." That's 20% annual growth right there, plenty of room for Palm to fit in.
The firm just published a report, "Mobile Services: Global Outlook" that validates Palm's view (and everybody else's) of the smartphone market. The real question on the table, of course, is which platforms will be able carve out enough marketshare to thrive (or at least profit) in the growing market.
The press release states "smartphone users worldwide will top 1.1 billion in 2013." The number is impressive, no doubt about it. What share of that 1.1 billion do you think Palm can grab? How much is enough for webOS to be a viable platform?
