[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Cho] An analysis revealed that one out of every two people among the 7.9 billion global population owns a smartphone. This marks a milestone 27 years after the first smartphone was launched in 1994.
Market analysis firm Strategy Analytics (SA) announced on the 24th (local time) that the number of smartphone users worldwide increased from 30,000 in 1994 to 1 billion in 2012, and to 3.95 billion as of June 2021. Ewen Woo, SA Senior Analyst, explained, "50% of the global population (7.9 billion) owns a smartphone," adding, "It took 27 years to reach this historic milestone."
The world's first smartphone, the IBM Simon, was commercially released in the United States in 1994. It was followed by the Nokia 9110 Communicator in 1998 and the Ericsson R380 in 2000. The Apple iPhone became popular starting in 2007.
SA forecasts that by 2030, 5 billion people worldwide will be using smartphones. This reflects the analysis that smartphones have become an essential tool in everyday life.
Neil Moston, SA Executive Director, stated, "Today, 4 billion people worldwide use smartphones, from downtown California to rural Africa and suburban China," calling it "the most successful computer in history."
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