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Global sales of mobile phones shrank 2 percent in the first quarter due to slower demand in the Asia-Pacific region, the first year-on-year fall since 2009, research firm Gartner said on Wednesday.
“The first quarter, traditionally the strongest quarter for Asia … saw a lack of new product launches from leading manufacturers, and users delayed upgrades in the hope of better smartphone deals arriving later in the year,” Reuters reported analyst Anshul Gupta said in a statement.
Gartner said the slow start to the year made it cautious about the rest of 2012, and will lower its full-year cellphone market outlook by some 20 million handsets.
