THERE’S NOTHING BETTER THAN having just one simple, all-in-one wireless device. Unless of course, it’s having a backup.
That seems to be one of the conclusions to be drawn from a report by In-Stat, the high-tech market research firm.
While the conventional wisdom in the wireless industry is that consumers seek a single wireless device with multiple capabilities built into the handset, studies show most users carry redundant devices, In-Stat reports. For example, more than 15% of people carry two wireless phones, the firm says.
“Eighty percent of the people who have a camera phone say they regularly carry their digital camera, 75% of SmartPhone users also carry a PDA, and more than 50% of users of multimedia phones also carry their MP3 player,” said Bill Hughes, In-Stat analyst, in a press release. “It is important to understand this customer behaviour if the wireless industry is to offer commercially successful solutions.”
Research by In-Stat also found:
* Only 43% of the respondents to an In-Stat survey, all of whom are business users, stated that higher productivity would be obtained with a SmartPhone.
* Many wireless users consider the additional capabilities offered within a wireless device to be a gift for becoming or remaining a subscriber, and not as a tool that is enhanced with real-time data.
* Almost half the respondents believe they will carry fewer devices by owning a SmartPhone, though as noted, most end up carrying a PDA anyway.
The findings are drawn from an In-Stat research report, “Repetitive Redundancy: The Consumer’s Tendency to Carry Duplicate Devices”, which analyzes consumer attitudes and users’ behaviour regarding wireless devices.
