The world now has 1 bn active smartphone users: Report

A study by Strategy Analytics has stated they the number of active smartphone users around the world has topped the 1 billion figure in Q3 of 2012. This means that one in seven people across the world are using a smartphone. You can check out the full report here.

Scott Bicheno, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, "The iPhone revolutionized smartphone design and it catalyzed industry growth. By the third quarter of 2011, we estimate there were 708 million smartphones in use worldwide. After a further year of soaring demand, the number of smartphones in use worldwide reached 1.038 billion units during the third quarter of 2012."

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[caption id="attachment_495016" align="alignleft" width="380"] The Galaxy S III and Galaxy S III mini are seen in this file photo. Reuters[/caption]

The report highlights that it took smartphones nearly 16 years to reach the 1 billion user mark. The first smartphone ever launched was the Nokia Communicator in 1996.

The study stresses that Android and Apple iOS will account for the significant majority of the global smartphone installed base in 2012, while the rapid decline in the installed base of Symbian and BlackBerry will continue. It also forecasts a positive future for Microsoft's Windows 8 for mobile.

The study takes into account installed base which is defined as the number of smartphones in use. The installed base does not refer to the user base, subscription base or subscriber base. The study also estimates that by 2015 another one billion people will take to smartphones.

According to an IDC report, India is still a slow-growing smartphone market and by 2016 the market share for smartphones will be around 8.5 percent only in India.