Mobile Device Market – Trends …Gartner

Gartner expects the following five key trends to impact the mobile device market during the next 18 months:

• As established vendors consolidate, new entrants will join the fray. New device
vendors such as Apple and Garmin are looking to differentiate themselves, while big name vendors like Motorola face pressure as market shares decline and design
innovation becomes more challenging.

• Device vendors will build out ecosystems. Pressure from operators to lower the price of devices will drive some established players such as Nokia and Sony Ericsson to seek out new sources of revenue from content and services sold to end users.

• More devices will focus on removing complexity for the user. Increasing device
functionality and a need for differentiation will drive demand to simplify the user interface
and service experience.

• Mobile devices will increasingly become lifestyle statements. Style will play more of a role across the range of devices, driven not only by fashion trends but also by
consumers' desire to reinforce their lifestyle choices.

• More high-end mobile devices will feature "field-refreshable" platforms. As cellular technologies become part of increasingly expensive consumer devices, vendors must manage ongoing support, upgrades and enhancement of devices.