Forecast: 23% of all new phones in 2013 will be smart

Smartphone sales are expected to increase 95% to more than 300 million by 2013 and could help key brands like Nokia during the current economic downturn, according to a new report from Juniper Research.
The firm noted there is a rising demand for complex Web 2.0-centric applications, which is expanding the overall market for smart devices. As a result, said Juniper, handset makers are increasingly relying on sales of high-end devices to mass market users.
“The process of evolving mobile phones into Internet-centric, highly personalized mobile computers is well under way,” said Andrew Kitson, author of the report. “Changes in the design and form of mobile devices, such as the inclusion of large touch-based displays, have been taken to their limits.
“Looking ahead, the shape and form of next-generation devices will most likely be led by software and content, rather than hardware, as vendors such as Nokia strive to make their devices highly personalized and rooted firmly in the online environment,” continued Kitson.
Juniper’s research also predicts about 23% of all new mobile phones sold in 2013 will be smartphones, up from 13% in 2008.