Smartphone Sales May Slump Q1

According to TrendForce, Q1 of 2014 could spell the first time that smartphone sales trend downwards worldwide. It’s not necessarily cause to abandon ship – it simply means that the smartphone has matured as a market enough to follow traditional seasonal trends. Shipments are expected to drop by 5.1% in Q1 of this year for the first time after a steady climb over two years. Nonetheless, as smartphones continue to penetrate globally, consumers will buy less and less at the beginning of the year, with the high profile releases coming in the spring; at the same time, people naturally spend less over the holidays. As spring starts up, though, expect sales to climb, much like the rest of the market, and indeed eclipse the same time periods from 2013.