Smartphones OutSell Feature Phones For The First Time in History

For the first time in history. smartphones have outsold feature phones, according to PCMag.com.

According to the International Data Center, 216.2 million smartphones were shipped in the first quarter of 2013. This makes up half of the total 418.6 mobile phones that were sold in the first quarter.

This occurred in what IDC labeled a “seasonally slow” first quarter. The sales of smartphones fell five percent from the sales in the first quarter of 2012.

According to a statement from IDC analyst Kevin Restivo, people’s desires and needs are changing.

"Phone users want computers in their pockets. The days where phones are used primarily to make phone calls and send text messages are quickly fading away," he said. "As a result, the balance of smartphone power has shifted to phone makers that are most dependent on smartphones."

Leading the pack in the history-making quarter was cell phone giant Samsung, who sold 70.7 million units. The maker of popular Android phones shipped more products than Apple, LG, Huawei, and ZTE combined. However, analysts are still awaiting either the success or failure of the Samsung’s Tizen-powered devices as the year progresses.

Coming in second place was Apple, which shipped 35.1 units this year. LG was also in the top 5 this year with a shipping a record high 10.3 million units. LG’s new phones, such as the Optimus G series, help the company in its exceptional first quarter. The IDC suspects the upcoming F and L series should help provide the company with a bit of consistency.

According to Roman Llamas, research manager for IDC’s mobile phone team, a new trend in the mobile industry is the rise of Chinese manufacturers in the vendors market.

"A year ago, it was common to see previous market leaders Nokia, BlackBerry, and HTC among the top five," he said. "While those companies have been in various stages of transformation since, Chinese vendors, including Huawei and ZTE as well as Coolpad and Lenovo, have made significant strides to capture new users with their respective Android smartphones."

Coming in fourth place was Huawei and fifth place went to ZTE.