SEOUL (THE KOREA HERALD/ANN) — The number of smartphone users in Korea is expected to surpass 7 million by the year end, according to industry sources.
The total number of people using a smartphone here was about 6.8 million as of last month, indicating that the figure has jumped 8.5 times compared to the 800,000 recorded in 2009.
Since the introduction of Apple’s iPhone in November last year, about 30 new smartphone models have been released this year with more to come this month.
Samsung Electronics, Apple and Pantech have the largest share in Korea’s smartphone market.
Samsung Electronics, which was a latecomer to the market, launched its flagship model Galaxy S, powered by the Android mobile operating system, in July in a bid to grab a bigger share of the market.
The local electronics giant said it has sold about 3 million smartphones — 2.3 million units of the Galaxy series and 700,000 Omnia series — in the past year.
Apple, on the other hand, has sold a total of 1.6 million units — 800,000 million units each of the iPhone 3GS and the upgraded iPhone 4 — becoming the runner-up in the race.
Smaller player Pantech came in third, selling 800,000 units as of last month, said its company officials. Hoping to sell up to 1 million units this year, it has been ratcheting up marketing and advertisement.
LG Electronics also rushed to join the race in October, releasing Optimus One. However, the number of units sold falls short at 400,000. The firm plans to soon launch its flagship models, hoping to introduce models in the U.S. equipped with fourth generation technologies, such as Long Term Evolution, as early as next year.
Article via Korea Herald
Smartphone users to top 7m this year
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