International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker

The latest Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker released by the International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts that the shipments of smartphones will exceed one billion handset units in 2013, an increase of 39.3 percent over 2012, and are projected to reach 1.7 billion units in 2017. The decline in smartphone average selling prices (ASPs) has been driving the growth of the smartphone market. IDC expects smartphone ASPs to drop to $337 in 2013, compared to $387 last year, and to further decline to $265 by 2017.

This year's third quarter sees the Android operating system steadily making strides as it accounts for 81 percent of total smartphone shipments or 211.6 million smartphone units, while Apple's iPhone drops from a year-ago 14.4 percent to this quarter's 12.9 percent, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.