El Segundo, Calif. – IHS iSuppli is estimating smartphone shipments will double from 2012 to 2017.
The research firm cited the introduction of new flagship models by the top vendors for the continued growth.
Overall, smartphone shipments will rise to 897 million units, up from 712 million in 2012. Going forward unit shipments will grow to 1.1 billion in 2014, 1.2 billion in 2015 and 1.4 billion in 2016 and 1.5 billion in 2017.
The company did note that Apple iPhone shipments were below expectations for the first quarter, at 37 million, and with the latest iPhone not expected until later this year Apple’s year over year shipment growth could be limited. IHS is estimating Apple will ship about 150 million units in 2013, up from the 134 million shipped last year.
Despite not meeting first quarter expectations, Apple easily beat Samsung’s 9 million units shipped.
