Your next TV could be a cellphone. According to Strategy Analytics' Connected Home service, more than a quarter of digital TV devices sold worldwide in 2010 will be mobile phones, as handset vendors strive to place a "TV in every pocket." Traditional devices, such as set-top boxes, however, will remain the staple for some years; and demand for these will also increase. The report, 'Digital TV Diversifies: Global Demand Will Shift Away From STBs,' predicts that device manufacturers likely to lead the fixed/mobile DTV convergence opportunity are Samsung, Sony/Sony Ericsson and LG. According to the research, 71 million digital TV devices will be sold globally this year, of which 1.9 million will be DTV phones. By 2010 annual sales of all devices will be 279 million, with mobile devices accounting for 73.5 million. In spite of these growth forecasts, mobile DTV faces usability obstacles and perceptions as well as barriers related to operator network strategies and government and regulator approaches.
The global smartphone market closed 2025 with a story less about recovery and more about transformation. Premium product, ecosystem lock-in, and manufacturing scale are now the forces shaping competition. For business and technology leaders, the latest IDC market study data confirms that smartphones remain a critical indicator of consumer demand, supply chain health, and AI commercialization at the edge. Smartphone Market Development Global smartphone shipments grew 2.3 percent year-over-year in Q4 2025, reaching 336.3 million units and bringing full-year volumes to 1.26 billion units — a modest 1.9 percent annual increase, according to IDC. This smartphone growth emerged despite a memory shortage crisis, tariff volatility, supply chain disruption, and macroeconomic headwinds. What stabilized demand? Two factors: sustained growth in premium devices and strong foldable momentum, combined with accelerated purchases as consumers bought ahead of anticipated price increases. Buyers weren...