Cellphone market slowing but smartphones still boom

Cellphone market growth slowed slightly in the September quarter due to worries over economic growth and component shortages, and the market growth would slow further in the current quarter, researchers said.

The phones market -- the largest volume electronics industry -- has surged this year from a slump in 2009 when the recession hit consumer spending on the latest gadgets around the world. Strategy Analytics (SA) said the overall annual market growth slowed to 13 percent in the third quarter, from 16 percent in the first half, and forecast growth to slow further to 10 percent in the fourth quarter. The smartphone market continued to surge in the quarter, with Apple's iPhone sales rising 91 percent from a year ago, making it the No. 4 global handset vendor measured by volume. Since 2009 it has created the largest profits in the industry.