The real-time counter on the GSMA Intelligence website shows the constant rise of mobile phone subscribers worldwide.
The market is huge and there's plenty of money to be made, but there's a design challenge for manufacturers.
"How do you differentiate a rectangular block with a touchscreen, a battery and a camera?” said Ben Wood, chief of research at CCS Insight. “What we've seen at Mobile World Congress is some of the manufacturers addressing that with some of the launches they've delivered."
Mobile World Congress, one of the world's biggest mobile shows, is taking place through Thursday in Barcelona.
The cool factor
For Sony, the focus is on the phone's camera. Its Xperia X phone has a camera that is ready to take a picture in less than 0.6 second.
For LG, the new G5 has a modular design and an assortment of attachments that add battery life and upgrade the phone's camera function.
For Samsung, the Galaxy S7 has a larger battery and the ability to add memory — as much as 200 gigabytes.
The price point
But these gadgets cost a lot, so manufacturers in China and India are coming out with cheaper smartphones.
"We are seeing a swing from developed markets to developing markets,” said Neil Mawston of Strategy Analytics. “So, more Chinese brands. More Indian brands. And I think, potentially, also more African brands in the future, as well."
But with cameras that can shoot 360 degrees, another opportunity is opening up: virtual reality. Samsung is already pairing its phone with VR goggles.
The VR key
"These are the devices that are going to generate loads of content,” Wood said, “and user-generated content is going to be key to driving the market."
Manufacturers are hoping that, very soon, almost everybody will want a set of VR goggles for gaming, exploring distant places or mingling with friends and family who are not physically present. And connectivity may soon be available to new areas.
"We are, this year, going to launch our first satellite over Africa in order to be able to work with operators to extend connectivity and beam down Internet there," said Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook.
CCS Insight predicts that by the end of this year, consumers will buy as many as 13 million virtual reality headsets.
Vocabulary
real-time: 实时的
SAT阅读的单词与句子游戏
SAT阅读考试高分宝典
SAT阅读:SAT novel
SAT阅读扩展:Immanuel Kant
SAT阅读素材:Modern urban design
SAT阅读需要突破的四关
SAT阅读700分经验:关键在长对比阅读
SAT阅读SPP策略(三)
SAT阅读材料:Characteristics of True Community
SAT阅读题三大特色
SAT阅读练习:urban design
SAT阅读:The Great Gatsby
SAT阅读考试的五个建议
SAT阅读考试经验总结
扩大SAT阅读量的四种方法
sat阅读:How the Steel Was Tempered
SAT阅读SPP策略(一)
SAT阅读方法与原则
如何掌握SAT阅读的技巧
SAT阅读SPP策略(二)
SAT阅读素材:What is learning
sat阅读:Speech and Harm and SAT Trick
SAT阅读试题结构
SAT阅读材料:WordNet
SAT阅读题中的修辞手段题
如何提高SAT阅读能力
SAT阅读:Dopamine and Learning
SAT阅读英文小说推荐 5部
专家详解:五种方法突破SAT阅读
SAT阅读课外扩展材料
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |