A security official sits inside the headquarters of SK Hynix Inc. in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013. South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix Inc. reported a second straight quarterly profit as its debt load eased and sales benefited from increased demand for chips used in smartphones and servers. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Gartner: Global cellphone sales fell in 2012
Published: 09:20:56 PM, Wed 13 February 2013 UTC
NEW YORK (AP) — Research firm Gartner says worldwide cellphone sales fell last year, as economic turmoil dampened shopper appetites.
The decline was 1.7 percent, and it was the first time since 2009 that cellphone sales have fallen, Gartner says. Sales amounted to 1.75 billion units, meaning that one out of every four people on the planet bought a new cellphone last year.
A competing research firm, IDC, last month said that sales grew at 1.2 percent last year.
The firms agree that smartphone sales grew quickly, while non-smartphone sales declined by a roughly equal number.
Samsung Electronics of Korea is the world's largest maker of phones, followed by Finland's Nokia Corp. and Apple Inc. of the US, according to both research firms.
Tags:
motorola, apple inc., nokia corp., nokia, gartner, idc, samsung electronics, science_technology, finland, percent, mobile phone, iphone, laptop, smartphone, units, time, decline, new york, research firm, korea, largest maker, economic turmoil, cellphone sales, global cellphone sales, worldwide cellphone sales, research firm gartner, roughly equal number, new cellphone, shopper appetites, smartphone sales, non-smartphone sales, research firms, phones, mobile phone manufacturers
