With the playing power of phones increasing rapidly, can MP3 players survive? -- "Apple's iPod is the must-have gadget of this decade. Over 10 million have been sold so far, dwarfing sales of other MP3 players. Apple claims over half the digital music player market. But this pales into insignificance when set against that other iconic consumer device, the mobile phone. Worldwide mobile handset sales amounted to 652 million units last year. The race is now on to make the mobile phone the portable media player of choice."
Alternative Payment Methods (APMs) – comprising digital wallets, instant payments, and QR payment systems – are experiencing explosive growth that's reshaping the global financial services marketplace. According to the latest worldwide market study by ABI Research , the combined global transaction value for APMs is projected to reach $142 trillion by 2030. What's particularly fascinating is the underlying driver behind this trend: a growing desire for financial sovereignty, with nations developing domestic payment ecosystems rather than remaining dependent on international financial networks. Payment Ecosystem Market Development In 2024, approximately 45 percent of the global population used digital wallets – a remarkable adoption rate for a technology that barely existed a decade ago. China leads this transition, with 95 percent of its population using WeChat's payment functionality. WeChat exemplifies the "super app" phenomenon, where payment capabilities are in...