Just about every hot new mobile device that’s coming to market these days comes with a touchscreen as a standard feature. But it’s not just about geek chic, anymore. Research firm Gartner is expecting the touchscreen feature to move firmly into the mainstream this year, projecting that sales of touchscreen-enabled devices will climb more 97 percent this year.
Enterprise Mobile Today takes a look at the aggressive forecast, and describes how touchscreens are poised to become a must-have feature in consumer IT.
The mainstreaming of touchscreen will take off in a big way this year, with sales of mobile devices using touchscreens expected to double in 2010 and comprise four out of five smartphones in some markets within just a few years.
Market research firm Gartner projects that the worldwide market for touchscreen-equipped mobile devices will grow over 96.8 percent this year, driven mostly by smartphones but also driven in part by tablets, mobile Internet devices (MIDs) and other portable devices.
By 2013, touchscreen-enabled mobile devices will account for 58 percent of all mobile device sales worldwide and will account for more than 80 percent of sales in developed markets like North America and Western Europe.
“Touchscreens are no longer the preserve of high-end devices and are now being included in many midrange phones, as more companies have been driving the consumer market for affordable touchscreen phones,” Roberta Cozza, principal research analyst at Gartner, said in a statement. “As phone capabilities increase, consumers are becoming much more aware of the benefits of touch interfaces, and vendors are responding.”
