GPS smartphone shipments to reach 77mn units in 2009

BOSTON, USA: According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, worldwide GPS smartphone shipments will grow 34 percent from 57 million units in 2008 to 77 million units in 2009.

GPS adoption in smartphones is being fueled by widespread consumer acceptance of portable navigation devices in Europe and the United States, and the increasing presence of mapping applications among mobile vendors such as Nokia, Apple and Blackberry.

Joanne Blight, Navigation Director at Strategy Analytics, said, "We forecast worldwide GPS smartphone shipments will grow a healthy 34 percent from 57 million units in 2008 to 77 million units in 2009. GPS smartphones, such as the Nokia N97 and Apple iPhone, are a high-growth segment that continues to expand even during the current, tough economic times.”

Neil Mawston, Wireless Director at Strategy Analytics, added, "Two key factors are fueling the adoption of GPS smartphones. First, there is widespread consumer acceptance of portable in-vehicle navigation devices from companies such as TomTom and Garmin in Europe and the United States. Second, mobile navigation services are improving. There is an increasing presence of mapping applications among major smartphone vendors, such as Nokia Maps, Apple Google Maps and Blackberry Maps.”

The full report containing further analysis on this emerging topic, called the GPS Smartphone Marketshare Tracker, is published by the Strategy Analytics Navigation and Location Opportunities (NLO) service.