As the mobile industry is gathering in Barcelona this week to show off the latest trends in smartphone technology, it’s time to spare a thought for those devices that have fallen victim to the smartphone’s unstoppable rise.
Ten years ago – the iPhone had just been unveiled but was yet to be unleashed on the world – we used to rely on a variety of devices to help us complete different tasks. Most of us had a mobile phone to text and make calls, an MP3 player to listen to music, a digital camera to take vacation pictures and a navigation system to help us find our vacation home in the first place. What a difference ten years make. These days, we only need one device to do all of the above and sales of non-smartphone gadgets have subsequently plummeted.
The below chart, based on data from the Consumer Electronics Association, shows how far sales of devices with more limited functionalities have dropped at the hand of smartphones and their many talents.
The Smartphone's Victims
Smartphone vs. other gadgets
Description
This chart shows how electronic devices sales have changed since the smartphone boom started 10 years ago.
