NORWELL, Mass.-Almost one in four mobile phones sold worldwide this year will include a digital camera, according to new research from InfoTrends Research Group. The firm projects that worldwide unit sales of camera phones will reach nearly 150 million this year.
“Growth in the camera phone market creates new opportunities for many industry players, including handset vendors, wireless carriers, and digital photofinishers,” said Jill Aldort, senior research analyst of Internet imaging at InfoTrends. “More consumers are purchasing camera phones and experimenting with taking, sending and even printing photos. Camera phones have boosted slowing worldwide mobile phone sales and photo messaging has contributed to an increase in data sent over the wireless networks. In turn, these circulating digital images have already added to the number of digital prints made.”
The firm said that the camera phone market will grow at an annual growth rate of 55 percent, and will reach 656 million units by 2008. The firm said Japan was the leading region for camera phone sales last year, but that growth will rapidly increase in other parts of the world.
