As smartphone market matures, makers race to wow consumers The handheld devices, which just a few years ago were seen as technological status symbols, are now for the first time in the hands of a majority of Americans, according to a study released Wednesday by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. They've become commonplace, meaning for every technophile sideloading apps onto an unlocked smartphone, there's probably a middle-aged office worker peering over a pair of bifocals at a touchscreen. The two dominant smartphone makers, Apple and Samsung, are still fighting over the declining share of Americans who don't have one. They are using slick television commercials and aggressive lawsuits against each other because the devices remain critical to their bottom lines. But some analysts say the phones have reached their technological ceiling. New versions have struggled to wow the reviewers and average consumers, a factor particularly important to tech firms, which often sell more products if they are seen as cutting-edge innovators. "Now that it's in the hands of everybody, maybe it loses its cool," said Ramon Llamas, a mobile trends analyst at International Data Corp. As the market for smartphones matures, Silicon Valley firms are racing to create new categories of products that consumers will have to rush out and buy. The smart money is on wearable technology - think Google's Glass headset, Dick Tracy watches or Web-enabled shirts and talking shoes. The first company to mass market such gadgets could reclaim some of the magic that accompanied Apple's launch of the first iPod or iPhone, analysts said. "If you can be that innovator and the company that people seek out, you can get the majority of the profits," said Rob Enderle, principal analyst for the Enderle Group. The pressure to innovate has been growing for Apple, which has seen its stock fall precipitously after its founder, Steve Jobs, died in 2011. Investors have been questioning whether the firm can continue its streak of groundbreaking hits - the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad - which transformed the company into the most valuable in the world. In recent years, Apple has released products that were largely updates of former models. Meanwhile, it focused some of its energy on pursuing lawsuits against rivals to prevent them from copying its designs. The next significant addition to the company's iPhone line may be a cheap device that could boost sales overseas, where Samsung has become dominant, several Wall Street analysts have said. Technology analysts say Google has arguably taken the lead in developing cutting-edge innovations, generating buzz about its new head-mounted Google Glass computer, as well as its driverless car experiment in California. Earlier this year, it also unveiled a pair of talking shoes that try to "motivate" a person to exercise.