SEOUL, KOREA - The growth of Korea’s smart device market that covers the areas of smartphones, personal computers, and tablets started slowing down from this year, indicating that the nation’s smart device market reached a saturation point after years of remarkable growth.
According to market research firm IDC Korea on December 17, the number of smart devices selling in Korea this year totaled 28.3 million units, down 5.0 percent from a year ago.Next year’s forecast for the sales of smart devices in Korea is estimated at 27.39 million units, down 3.3 percent from a year before.
Along with a decline in shipments, smart device revenues also fell by about 8 percent. Smart devices created revenue of 21.84 trillion won this year, down 7.9 percent year on year.
By item, tablet computers marked the steepest decline, with tablet computer shipments and revenues estimated at 1.15 million units and 650.9 billion won,respectively, down 8.2 percent and 16.3 percent from a year ago.