By 2016, just four years from now, one billion consumers will have smartphones, according to the research firm. In the U.S. alone, consumers will own 257 million smartphones and 126 million tablets.
The study highlights the shift from simple, so-called “feature phones” — like those basic, clam-shell models we all had a decade ago — to sophisticated units like Apple’s iPhone and devices running Google’ s Android mobile operating system. And as smartphone usage grows, so will the the “app economy,” which has already created nearly 500,000 jobs in the U.S., according to a recent study by economist Michael Mandel.
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Apple’s iPhone and iPad are already the hottest mobile devices on the planet. Meanwhile, Google’s Android mobile operating system is spreading like wildfire — Google officials recently revealed that over 700,000 Android devices are activated every day.