Microsoft-Nokia deal not to impact smartphone shipments

Microsoft & Nokia

Acquisition of handset major Nokia by programs giant Microsoft will not influence smartphone shipments substantially, study firm Gartner said.

While giving 2013 projections said the study firm said it expects Windows operating scheme (OS) apparatus shipments to feel 331.6 million flats in 2013 and 363.8 million in 2014, from 346.5 million flats last year.

"Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia doesn't have a major impact on the outlook, because Gartner currently assumed that Nokia would have accounted for the huge majority of Windows telephone share all through the forecast, with only negligible volume coming from other OEMs, such as HTC or Samsung," it said in a issue.

In September this year, US-based Microsoft said it will come by a considerable part of apparatus and services business of Nokia for 5.44 billion euros ($7.17 billion) in money, in an effort to reinforce its place in the smartphone market.

"Windows telephone trials in the smartphone market stay the identical, with the need to convey on board more developers and enrich the ecosystem, as well as turning the Windows telephone emblem into a cooling smartphone emblem," Gartner Research vice president Carolina Milanesi said.

While there are clear advantages to the acquisition, such as channel strength, carrier relationship and emerging-market knowledge, the emblem and ecosystem do not directly advantage from it, she added.

The firm said handset market will extend to experience stable development, but the opportunity for high mean selling price (ASP) smartphones is now finish and development is anticipated to come from mid-tier smartphones in mature markets and low-end Android smartphones in appearing markets.

"Android will stay the premier apparatus operating scheme, as it is on pace to account for 38% of shipments in 2013. Windows OS is projected to down turn 4.3% in 2013 as a outcome of the down turn in customary PC sales, but will return to growth in 2014 with device OS shipments increasing 9.7%," Gartner supplemented.

Total wireless telephone shipments are expected to grow 3.7% to more than 1.8 billion flats this year.

Meanwhile, the research firm projected that international apparatus shipments (PCs, tablets and mobile telephones) are anticipated to reach 2.32 billion flats in 2013, a 4.5 per cent rise from 2012, assisted by by a move to lower-priced apparatus in nearly all device classes.

Worldwide shipments of customary PCs (desk-based and notebook) are forecast to total 303 million flats in 2013, an 11.2% decline from 2012, and the PC market, including ultramobiles, is outlook to down turn 8.4% in 2013.

Tablet shipments are expected to augment 42.7% this year, with shipments reaching 184 million flats, it said.

"Premium tablets are faced with proceeded cost decline in the 7-inch pattern component as a bigger number of consumers prefer smaller pattern components when it comes to content consumption," Gartner added.