SCOTTSDALE, AZ – The smartphone is the favourite mobile device of consumers, beating out the ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) and the mobile Internet device (MID), according to a recent report, entitled Competing Mobile Device Visions for the US: UMPCs, MIDs, and Smartphones, by research firm In-Stat.
Nearly half of respondents surveyed said they preferred the benefits and capabilities of smartphones, either alone or with a mobile companion, In-Stat said. Fewer than 10% indicated a preference for the capabilities of MIDs.
“Helping the smartphone’s chances for success are the established and successful channels of distribution and the fact that the actual pricing of this solution is somewhat less than end-user expectations,” said In-Stat analyst Bill Hughes. “That smartphones are established as a valuable solution today makes the sales process easier than for the other mobile device options.”
The research also found that mobile companions for smartphones were popular, but users have unrealistically low expectations for pricing.
The main objection for non-users of mobile data technology in general, and smartphones in particular, is that users are skeptical of the benefits of mobile data and view it as a “luxury,” noted the report. It continued that at the same time, they tend to overestimate the actual cost of smartphones.
