The smartphone market has been growing rapidly over the past few years, with smartphone adoption spreading across the population. The youth market is also picking up this trend and the numbers who want or own a smartphone device are growing. So which smartphones are being adopted by future generations and why?

A smartphone for Christmas

The youth market for mobile devices is swiftly rising, and the age at which children acquire their first mobile phone is getting younger and younger. It is estimated that over 90% of 12-15 year olds already have a mobile phone and the number of smartphone acquisitions in this market is also growing [1]. Considering that a large amount of mobile phones acquired by the youth market are being gifted and are often from the medium to high-end price range, it is not surprising that the youth market are picking up the smartphone trend. Also, considering that most of the time it is the end-user that is influencing purchase of the gift, it is interesting to find out what are driving these decisions [1].

The television experience is constantly changing and evolving with the increasing number of devices and platforms available to watch video content. This year two of the tech giants, Apple and Google, have seriously entered the market to make the web accessible through your television screen. However, both have very different strategies as the battle over openness and control will play out through your television sets in 2011.

How IPTV has changed in 2010

The consumer technology market in Western Europe has grown for the third quarter in a row (year-on-year figures) according to a recent report from GfK TEMAX. Growth is being driven by increasingly demanding consumers who are seeking more innovation, connectivity and mobility, which is leading to a blurring of market categories.

The same GfK TEMAX report showed that Q2 2010 saw a +3.6% increase in comparison to the same period last year. Particularly strong this quarter were the Consumer Electronics (+8.9%) and Information Technology (+4.6%) sectors. And this isn’t surprising, given the rapid pace of innovation and thus the enormous growth in breadth and depth of product range for both sectors.

Despite smartphones and mobiles with open operating systems (making up a quarter of the mobile market in Western Europe) having a volume growth of 62%, the Telecommunications market actually declined in year-on-year figures (-0.2%). It’s an extremely positive sign that the consumer technology market appears to be back on track, particularly after the year which was dubbed the “year of crisis”.