Touchscreen devices like smartphones, tablets, and e-readers have become increasingly popular due to factors like the decline of physical keyboards and stylus use, the rise of intuitive finger-based touch interfaces pioneered by the iPhone, and attractive price points that have made these devices more accessible. Before the iPhone, touchscreens were less intuitive, relied more on styluses, and developers had fewer options for app distribution. But after 2007, the post-iPhone era saw the rise of capacitive touchscreens without styluses, app stores for easier app discovery, and more open platforms that helped developers. By 2016, analysts predict that 97% of smartphones and over 700 million tablets annually will have touch-only interfaces.

1. Demystifying the Touch Device
Market
Varun Krishnan
Founder and CEO - FoneArena.com

2. Background
FoneArena is one of the most visited mobile buying
guides in India
Been analyzing the mobile device market since 2004
Constantly review various devices introduced in the
market

3. Touchscreen Devices
Smartphones – iPhone , Android , Windows Phone ,
Symbian

4. Touchscreen Devices
Feature Phones – Nokia S40, Samsung Bada

5. Touchscreen Devices
Tablets – iPad, Android Tablets, BlackBerry PlayBook

6. Touchscreen Devices
Media Players – iPod Touch , PMPs

7. Touchscreen Devices
Other devices like Navigation tools, E-readers etc.

8. Why Touch is popular today ?
Touch is emotional
Decline of the stylus
Rise of Finger-based touchscreens
Decline of the physical keypad
Attractive price points

9. Before the iPhone

10. Pre-iPhone Era
User Interfaces were not intuitive
Touchscreens were mostly resistive
Most Touch devices employed a stylus
Users were forced to use applications provided by the
Carrier in Carrier controlled markets like USA
Most phones came with loaded with a lot of Bloatware
Developers had a tough time making applications
accessible to end users

11. After the iPhone

12. Post-iPhone Era
Decline of the Stylus
Rise of Touch only devices
Rise of Capacitive screens
Rise of App Stores
Developers got more channels to release their apps
Consumers could discover apps more easily

13. Touchscreen devices at attractive price
points

14. 97% of All Smartphones Will Have
Touchscreens by 2016
In the time prior to the launch of the original iPhone,
smartphones with touchscreens have gone from 7% of
the total smartphone volume in 2006 to 75% in 2010
Were a key driver to the market growing more than
325% over that period.
Over the next five years, touchscreens will be reaching
97% of all smartphones by 2016.
Source : ABI Research , August 26, 2011

15. Touchscreen-Only Smartphone Shipments
to Surpass 700 Million in 2016
Analyst firm Juniper Research forecasts that shipments of
smartphones with a touchscreen-only interface will
surpass 700 million per annum in 2016 – 72% of total
shipments, compared to just over half in 2010.
Source : Juniper Research , 30th August 2011

16. Touch Panel Demand increasing
Source : Display Search, July 12, 2011

17. Rise of Smartphones and Decline of Feature
Phones
As smartphones are getting more and more affordable,
feature phones are loosing relevance

18. The Mobile Platforms that are worth
developing for
iOS - Apple
Windows Phone - Microsoft , Nokia , Samsung , HTC,
Dell, LG
Android – Google , Motorola , HTC, Samsung, Sony
Ericsson , Dell, LG, Asus , Acer

19. Future Trends
5.3 inch Display in a Phone!

20. The iPad is here to stay

21. Tablet Market Share Forecast
iPad will continue to dominate
Android might gain some serious market share by 2015

22. Future Trends
Tablets of Multiple Screen sizes from other tablet makers
5 7 7.7 8.9 9.7 10.1

23. Thank You
Q&A
twitter.com/varunkrish
varun@fonearena.com