Smartphone Shipment Growth To Halve In 2016

The time of double-digit growth for the smartphone industry has come to an end, according to a new report from industry tracker IDC. Smartphone shipments are expected to grow just 5.7% year-over-year in 2016, versus a 10.4% increase to 1.44 billion smartphone shipments worldwide in 2015. IDC said the decline is related to saturation of the Chinese market, which has transitioned to a mature market with more stable growth from a fast-growing emerging market in years prior. IDC expects the trend of single-digit year-over-year growth to continue through 2020. Alphabet Inc.'s Android is expected to maintain its leading share of the market over the next few years, with IDC predicting its share rises to 84.6% by 2020 from an expected 82.6% in 2016. Apple Inc.'s iOS is expected to maintain its spot as the second-largest smartphone manufacturer, though its share of the market is projected to decline slightly through 2020 to 14% from an estimated 15.2% in 2016.