Close Menu
TechCentralTechCentral

    Subscribe to the newsletter

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    WhatsApp Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    • News

      Listed: All the MVNOs in South Africa – 2025 edition

      19 June 2025

      TCS | Tech, townships and tenacity: Spar’s plan to win with Spar2U

      19 June 2025

      WhatsApp founders hated ads – Meta is adding them anyway

      19 June 2025

      China’s car factories run cold as price war masks deep overcapacity

      19 June 2025

      Yellow Card, Visa in deal to hasten stablecoin uptake in Africa

      19 June 2025
    • World

      Watch | Starship rocket explodes in setback to Musk’s Mars mission

      19 June 2025

      Trump Mobile dials into politics, profit and patriarchy

      17 June 2025

      Samsung plots health data hub to link users and doctors in real time

      17 June 2025

      Beijing’s chip champions blacklisted by Taiwan

      16 June 2025

      China is behind in AI chips – but for how much longer?

      13 June 2025
    • In-depth

      Meta bets $72-billion on AI – and investors love it

      17 June 2025

      MultiChoice may unbundle SuperSport from DStv

      12 June 2025

      Grok promised bias-free chat. Then came the edits

      2 June 2025

      Digital fortress: We go inside JB5, Teraco’s giant new AI-ready data centre

      30 May 2025

      Sam Altman and Jony Ive’s big bet to out-Apple Apple

      22 May 2025
    • TCS

      TCS+ | AfriGIS’s Helen Hulett on how tech can help resolve South Africa’s water crisis

      18 June 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E2: South Africa’s digital battlefield

      16 June 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E1: Starlink, BEE and a new leader at Vodacom

      8 June 2025

      TCS+ | The future of mobile money, with MTN’s Kagiso Mothibi

      6 June 2025

      TCS+ | AI is more than hype: Workday execs unpack real human impact

      4 June 2025
    • Opinion

      South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

      17 June 2025

      AI and the future of ICT distribution

      16 June 2025

      Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

      13 June 2025

      Beyond the box: why IT distribution depends on real partnerships

      2 June 2025

      South Africa’s next crisis? Being offline in an AI-driven world

      2 June 2025
    • Company Hubs
      • Africa Data Centres
      • AfriGIS
      • Altron Digital Business
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Altron Group
      • Arctic Wolf
      • AvertITD
      • Braintree
      • CallMiner
      • CYBER1 Solutions
      • Digicloud Africa
      • Digimune
      • Domains.co.za
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • Incredible Business
      • iONLINE
      • Iris Network Systems
      • LSD Open
      • NEC XON
      • Network Platforms
      • Next DLP
      • Ovations
      • Paracon
      • Paratus
      • Q-KON
      • SevenC
      • SkyWire
      • Solid8 Technologies
      • Telit Cinterion
      • Tenable
      • Vertiv
      • Videri Digital
      • Wipro
      • Workday
    • Sections
      • AI and machine learning
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud services
      • Contact centres and CX
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Electronics and hardware
      • Energy and sustainability
      • Enterprise software
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Lifestyle
      • Motoring
      • Public sector
      • Retail and e-commerce
      • Science
      • SMEs and start-ups
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Events
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home » In-depth » Smartphones now dominate everything

    Smartphones now dominate everything

    By Sunil Gopal28 May 2015
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    News Alerts
    WhatsApp

    smartphone-640

    The world’s cellphone manufacturers will sell 1,4bn smartphones in 2015, generating US$300bn in sales. Indeed, smartphone sales will dwarf the sale of all PCs, televisions, tablets and game consoles.

    This is a key finding in Deloitte’s TMT Predictions 2015 report, released on Thursday.

    The consulting and auditing firm says that in developed markets, seven out of 10 smartphone users upgraded their smartphones in the past 18 months.

    Although people still spend significant time watching TV or using computers, the smartphone remains their “most constant companion, the most personal of choices, the most customised and reflective of the owners, the least likely to be shared with other users, and the most frequently looked at”.

    Deloitte predicts 1,4bn smartphone sales in 2015, with more than three-quarters of those being upgrades.

    A number of factors drive people’s urge to buy newer smartphones, including improved performance — bigger screen size, better camera capabilities and new features like fingerprint sensors. Aesthetics and social factors such as peer pressure also play a role.

    Another prediction by Deloitte is that the digital divide is widening, with the new divide being the broadband speeds that different users are able to access.

    Although the gap previously referred to the “haves” and the “have-nots”, the gap between those with faster broadband speeds and those with basic broadband access is increasing significantly.

    Regulators need to take note of this development and realise that simply calling for broadband access is not enough, says Deloitte.

    In the technology space, Deloitte predicts that 2015 will see a billion “Internet of things” (IoT) devices shipped, a 60% increase from last year. IoT allows consumers to complete tasks remotely, from controlling appliances, to monitoring home security, climate control and lighting. However, the list of services available is increasing with “smart meters, smart grids, smart homes, smart cities and smart highways … just some examples”.

    In the media space, the rise of short-form video and the pervasiveness of books are some of Deloitte’s predictions. Short-form videos that last less than 20 minutes will form 3% of all watched content in 2015 and will generate $5bn in revenue. This is compared to longer videos that will generate more than $400bn in revenue, primarily from advertising and subscriptions.

    Despite predictions to the contrary, the print industry in alive and well, with over 80% of books sold worldwide still in print format. Books still dominate in markets with high digital penetration and even more so in the developing world.  — © 2015 NewsCentral Media



    Deloitte
    Subscribe to TechCentral Subscribe to TechCentral
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticleMTN voice traffic soars by 137%
    Next Article Autopage moves to allay client fears

    Related Posts

    Could the iPhone soon be cheaper in South Africa than America?

    8 April 2025

    Tax cut on basic smartphones will make little difference

    14 March 2025

    R20-billion earmarked for expansion of hi-tech Waterfall City precinct

    25 November 2024
    Company News

    Why parents choose CambriLearn for online education

    19 June 2025

    Disrupt first, ask questions later – the uncomfortable truth about incident response

    18 June 2025

    Sage brings together HR leaders to explore the future of payroll and people management

    18 June 2025
    Opinion

    South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

    17 June 2025

    AI and the future of ICT distribution

    16 June 2025

    Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

    13 June 2025

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2025 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.