Cameraphones tripled last year - and outsold digital cameras 4 to 1

In 2004 the sales of cameraphones more than tripled, from 84 million units in 2003 to 257 million units last year. Respectively 16 percent and 38 percent of the total handset market.

Stategy Analytics also estimates that camera phones outsold digital cameras last year by a factor of nearly 4 to 1. The firm also says that removable memory cards will become a standard for all cameraphones by Q1 2008.

Significantly Nokia has recovered from an early disadvantage with an 18 per cent market share, followed by Motorola (17 per cent) and Samsung (13 per cent). Traditional camera vendors such as Kodak, Canon and Fuji will struggle even more in 2006 "following the ubiquity of multi-megapixel camera phones", the report says.

More info at The Inquirer