04 July 2009

Weekend reading:
America's Appetite for Smartphones
And The Killer Apps They Can't Live Without

A Best Buy Mobile survey conducted by GfK shows that many adult Americans plan to buy a smartphone in the next 12 months and they are confused.  They do value their mobiles and would go to great lengths to keep their mobiles. Their texting habits are regrettable.

Six in ten (60%) of those surveyed said they would rather abstain from alcohol for a week than give up their mobile phone. One in three would give up television to keep their mobile phone.

If caught in the rain with a choice of a mobile phone or an umbrella, nearly 37 percent of Americans would choose their mobile phone. A passionate minority of 15% of Americans said they would rather have their teeth drilled at the dentist's office than give up their mobile phone for a week.

Nearly half (47%) of adults who do not yet own a smartphone, claimed they are too confused by the vast assortment of models and features. Barriers to smartphone ownership include the difficulty with the shopping experience, confusion about models and expense.

• 39% do not own a smartphone because they hate shopping for electronics products, with 45% of women in particular expressing this concern.
• 52% of women and 42% of men are confused about which model smartphone to buy, and more than half (53%) of adults over 50 express this confusion.
• 64% of Americans say they do not own a smartphone because they believe the devices are too expensive. This sentiment is particularly felt in the South.

About one in five of adults surveyed already owned a smartphone with a large segment of those in their 20's and 30's plan to buy a smartphone this year.

Web, Messages Photos,
Music and Social Networking Importanta

For those surveyed who own smartphones, the most important features are accessing information from the Internet, sending messages and taking digital photos. More than half (58%) feel it is important to be able to listen to music on their mobile phone. Forty-one percent feel it is important to be able to engage in social networking such as Facebook, MySpace or Twitter. And 36% said being able to play games is important.

Sex Differences

When it comes to which features are most in-demand, there is a gender divide. Seventy-one percent of women said sending text messages is "very important" compared to 46% of men. Taking digital photos with a phone was also "very important" to 55% of women compared to 30% of men. Women also shared that listening to music on their mobile device is "very important" (44%) compared to only 25% of men.

Men surveyed were more likely than women (46% versus 39%) to say that it is very important that their phones have calendar applications that link back to their computers. But in nearly all instances, women considered features and applications - including video games - "very important" more than men did. Fourteen percent of women ranked playing games as very important compared to 9% of men. Men were also clearly less interested than women in reading books on their phone: all of the 8% of respondents that were very interested in this application were women.

Women were also more likely than men to use their mobile phone's GPS system. Fifty-one percent of women, compared to 33% of men, considered getting directions on their phone "very important."

With all the applications that entice those in the younger age ranges, there is still a perception among some that smartphones are more for business than pleasure. Almost half (49%) of Americans without smartphones now believe that people who use smartphones are too connected to their jobs at all times, particularly the older generations who tend to view smartphones as more functional than fun. Only 30% of adults 18-24 feel this way versus 60% of adults 35-49.

Texting Preferred

Whether using traditional number keys, slide-out or built-in keyboards or even touch-screen typing, an overwhelming majority of Americans prefer text messaging as a quick and convenient way to communicate. And this affinity for the written word in the hands of mobile phone users provided some provocative statistics.

Of all Americans with mobile phones, 62% say they use text messaging, mostly because it's a convenient and quick way to communicate. More than one-third (37%) say they use texting to avoid long or tough conversations, and over one-quarter (27%) say they use it because they dislike talking on the phone. One-quarter feel it's a great way to flirt, particularly among the 18-24-year-old set (39%).

One in four of American mobile phone users surveyed admitted they have spied and read someone else's text messages without permission. This includes looking at the messages of spouses, partners, friends or even their own kids.

Nearly 38% said they had sent a text message to the wrong person by mistake. Texting leaves a lot of room for interpretation by the recipient, and 37% say they have been misunderstood by a person receiving their text message.

One-fourth of Americans (23%) admitted to "TWI," or texting while intoxicated, and 30% of men and 18% of women said they regretted something they had written in a text message.