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In-Stat: Majority in U.S. to have smartphones, tablets by 2015

In-Stat predicts that 65 percent of all Americans will have a smartphone and/or tablet in just four years.

Don Reisinger
CNET contributor Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
Don Reisinger
2 min read
The majority of Americans will be using mobile products like tablets and smartphones by 2015, according to In-Stat.
The majority of Americans will have mobile products like tablets and smartphones by 2015, according to In-Stat.

About 65 percent of the U.S. population, or over 200 million people, will have a smartphone and/or tablet in 2015, according to the research firm In-Stat.

The research firm did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment on how many people in the U.S. are currently using smartphones and tablets.

In-Stat's forecast today comes on the heels of similar findings by research firms that indicate the mobile space is set to explode even more in the coming years.

In April, research firm Gartner reported that over 296 million smartphones shipped worldwide last year. This year, the research firm expects that figure to jump to 468 million. Next year, smartphone shipments could jump to over 630 million, the company said. But all those figures pale in comparison to Gartner's expected 2015 shipments. The research firm said that by then, 1.1 billion smartphones will ship worldwide.

Related stories:
Gartner: Android market share to near 50 percent
IDC: Android, Windows Phone to rule mobile
Tablet shipments to near 250 million in 2017

On the tablet side, In-Stat reported yesterday that it expects 250 million units to ship in 2017. That report followed claims from DigiTimes that iPad shipments could go as high as 36 million this year, followed by Android tablet shipments of 20 million.

Speaking of Apple and Android, In-Stat said in its forecast today that fans of both will prove to be quite loyal over the coming years. The research firm said that "the average Apple household will have four Apple devices" by 2015. The typical "Android household" will have about two Android devices by then, In-Stat predicted.

One other tidbit from In-Stat's forecast: 86 percent of smartphone or tablet users will view video on those devices in 2015.