Global mobile device sales increase during Q3 2011

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

A recent study conducted by research firm Gartner revealed that 440.5 million mobile devices were sold worldwide during the third quarter of this year.

According to the research firm, the total number of mobile devices increased by 5.6 percent from the third quarter of 2010. Overall, smartphone sales grew by 42 percent compared to last year and reached 115 million units. Of all the mobile devices sold in the period, 26 percent were smartphones.

Gartner added that smartphone sales declined from 7 percent growth in the second quarter because some consumers were waiting for special promotions and other upcoming releases.

"Other consumers were waiting for a rumored new iPhone and associated price cuts on older iPhone models; this affected U.S. sales particularly," said Gartner principal research analyst Roberta Cozza.

With the proliferation of smartphones, tablets and other devices, mobile security threats continue to evolve. In a recent interview with ZDNet, security expert Chris Stier explained that the introduction of mobile applications has helped hackers target consumers. For Android users, cybercriminals can alter an application and post it as a free download in the marketplace, placing users in a dangerous position.