The global smartphone market has declined for the first time in history

By now you’ve heard that last quarter Apple saw its first-ever decline in iPhone sales, but a new research note from analyst Strategy Analytics suggests the Cupertino company isn’t alone: from Q1 2015 to Q1 2016 the global smartphone market shrunk by 3%—the first time this has happened since 1996, when the original BlackBerry went on sale. As TechCrunch reports, Strategy Analytics pegs the decline to two factors: “increased penetration maturity” in major markets including the U.S. and China, and increasingly cautious consumers who are worried about the future of the global economy.

MG