Expect a steep increase in Smartphone sales

More than the tech sector, the mobile enterprise and wireless arena are in a constant state of flux. This week mobile-giant Nokia said it will lay off 600 employees as a result of the weakening economy, and--check this out--the presence of new competitors. Accusatory eyes turned toward Apple's game-changing iPhone, which might well have accelerated RIM's shift toward more consumer-centric devices like the BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Storm.

Of course, Google's release of the Android operating system couldn't have helped either; this probably sparked Nokia's decision to effectively buy over and open-source the Symbian operating system. I mean, if you can't beat them, join them, right? In the meantime, Shane O'Neill thinks that the sale of Smartphones will eat into Windows PC sales. The rationale is that casual users, with limited budgets might forgo a desktop or laptop entirely, and be adequately served by Smartphones.

Despite the clear success of its iPhone, Apple certainly isn't resting on its laurels either. It appears that IBM's chip-guru Mark Papermaster will be heading its iPod group over at Apple. One can only imagine the kind of future media player--if it can still be called that--that Apple has up its sleeve. It will certainly require someone of Papermaster's expertise in high-end processor design.

Finally, a new study says that up to 50% of mobile consumers plan to get Smartphones within the next two years. If this is accurate, this represents an extraordinary jump--with the most popular platform of the next decade to be determined by the sales over the next two years.

The Smartphone war is just getting started. - Paul