In the decade since its conception, the camera phone has transitioned from a novelty to a standard feature on wireless handsets. Industry estimates place camera phones as accounting for more than half of all mobile devices shipped annually. In the United States, it is estimated that half of all cellular subscribers have a camera phone. In Europe and Asia, the estimate may be as high as 75% of wireless subscribers have a camera phone.

Each year In-Stat conducts a cellular phone trends survey. The 2007 survey revealed a noteworthy increase in the number of camera phones in the respondents' current handset. In 2006, 41.3% of respondents reported having camera functionality in their mobile devices. In 2007, that number jumped to 62.0%. The 50.1% increase is statistically significant and may be attributed to industry standardization. Another big leap was the percentage of people who reported having a camcorder in their wireless handset. In 2006, 10.0% of respondents reported camcorder functionality. In 2007, 15.7% of respondents said their handset had this capacity.

Interesting to note is the contrast between respondents who expressed an interest in camera phones and those who possess the technology. In 2006, 32.1% of respondents reported an interest in camera phones. By 2007, that number grew to 36.9%, a negligible increase. Similarly, interest in camcorder functionality was reported at 18.4% in 2006 and 20.2% in 2007.


To learn more about wireless handsets and the factors influencing their development in the next five years, please see “Big Trends Influencing Global Handset Market 2007-2012” (IN0703653WH). To learn more about camera phones, history, current uses and future applications please see “Camera Phones: An Industry Snapshot" (IN0703641WH). Both of these reports will be out shortly and will be located online at:
http://www.instat.com/catalog/wcatalogue.asp?id=66