NPD Group has released new global cameraphone penetration data as part of a larger set of data on digital cameras. According to the data:

In 2005, 45 percent of all mobile phones sold in the U.S. were camera phones, up from 26 percent in 2004. Asia followed a very similar trend. Western Europe had a higher incidence of camera phones at 64 percent, and Japan had a much greater adoption rate with more than 90 percent of all mobile phones sold with camera capabilities both in 2004 and 2005.

The NPD data shows a penetration rate about 5% higher than that reported by In-Stat a month ago--no big deal as the data was probably collected some months apart.

NPD's analysis is that cameraphones are still being used more for spontaneous photography than for set pieces where one might want a fully functional digital camera. However, with cameraphone resolution and functionality increasing rapidly, particularly among Asian vendors such as Samsung and now SonyEricsson, and with the increasing integration of digital imaging, wireless connectivity and Web applications (recent apps from Shozu and Yahoo! are two good examples of tying cameraphone imaging to Web sharing), this pattern may yet change and cameraphones increasingly come into use as the primary imaging device of many consumers.