93 per cent of Aussies to own a smartphone by 2018

Voice functions of smartphones threatened by text based communications.
Smartphone penetration in Australia this year has been estimated at around 73 per cent (three-quarters) in the 15 - 65 age group, according to Frost and Sullivan.
It is also predicted to grow to around 93 per cent by 2018 when all mobile phones will potentially have smartphone capabilities.
Almost half of all Australian smartphone owners have said that they use mobile media as the main use of their device, however tablets are expected to over take the market in sales growth by 2018, increasing from 49 per cent this year to 80 per cent.
With the rapid improvements of smartphone functionality, it still remains the device of choice.
Phil Harpur, senior research manager for Australia and New Zealand at Frost and Sullivan, said: "As smartphone functionality continues to improve with higher resolutions and larger screens, faster internet access via 4G networks and higher data downloads, this percentage will increase significantly over the next few years."
With the increase in popularity of apps such as WhatsApp and other text based communications, the voice function of smartphones is said to become less important to owners.
The initial purpose of a phone is also being threatened by the undying social media craze, mobile job searching - such as the new LinkedIn feature which allows users to apply for jobs straight from their phone - and holiday booking, with one in five booking via a mobile.
This activities are also becoming more apparent on laptops and PC's - which were previously thought to be a dying breed - with 60 per cent of consumers accessing sites via this platform at least once every six weeks.

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