The release of Apple's much-ballyhooed iPhone on Friday is expected to give a boost to the emerging, multi-purpose cellphone market and possibly even help rival "smartphone" devices.
The global market for smartphones -- devices that include telephone service, the Internet, e-mail, music, a camera and videos -- will reach US$100 million this year, or 10 percent of the 1 billion cellphones sold worldwide, analyst firms Canalys and IDC said.
More than 1 billion smartphones are expected to be sold by 2010-2012 as they gradually replace regular cellphones.
The current leaders in the multi-purpose phone market include the BlackBerry of Canadian firm Research in Motion (RIM) and recent models created by Nokia, Palm and Motorola.
"We are still at an early stage of market development, with businesses and consumers only scratching the surface of what is and will be possible with such devices," Canalys analyst Nick Spencer said.
Several devices are battling for a limited number of consumers, but none are thriving as connectivity remains slow, said Jonah Bloom, editor-in-chief of marketing magazine AdAge.
Experts say Apple will face stiff competition from Finnish firm Nokia's N95 device, which like the iPhone can be turned horizontally to make the screen wider for videos.
"We think the buzz [from the iPhone] is very good," Samsung Telecommunications America vice president Peter Skarzynski told reporters. "It helps people understand the convergence of phones and music players."
The iPhone shared the top spot with the BlackBerry in a ChangeWave Research survey of people who plan to buy an advanced phone in the next three months, a sign the iPhone may take market share from rivals.
The survey found that 26 percent of likely buyers would choose the iPhone, a combination mobile phone and iPod that will go on sale on June 29. The study was conducted in April.
In the survey, 10 percent of those planning to buy an advanced mobile phone said they would choose a Palm device, putting the company in third place. Samsung Electronics Co was fourth with 7 percent, followed by Motorola Inc with 5 percent and Nokia Oyj with 3 percent.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
BULLY TACTICS: Beijing has continued its incursions into Taiwan’s airspace even as Xi Jinping talked about Taiwan being part of the Chinese family and nation China should stop its coercion of Taiwan and respect mainstream public opinion in Taiwan about sovereignty if its expression of goodwill is genuine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) made the comment in response to media queries about a meeting between former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) the previous day. Ma voiced support for the so-called “1992 consensus,” while Xi said that although the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have “different systems,” this does not change the fact that they are “part of the same country,” and that “external
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source