In-Stat: Consumers Still Carrying Around Multiple Wireless Devices

Peter Piper picked a peck of wireless devices;
A peck of wireless devices Peter Piper picked;
If Peter Piper picked a peck of wireless devices,
Where's the peck of wireless devices Peter Piper picked?

Today's wireless devices might be very capable when it comes to multi-tasking, but our wireless Peter Piper's are still likely to carry multiple devices with overlapping capabilities.

A new study out today by In-Stat find that most wireless users carry redundant devices. When it comes to mobile phones, for example, 15 percent of consumers have two.

Meanwhile, 80 percent of respondents to In-Stat’s survey said they regularly carry around both a digital camera and a camera phone. And, more than 50 percent of respondents who own multimedia phones lug around MP3 players, too.

Apparently, when it comes to the various functions that mobile devices can perform—voice communications, e-mail, texting, digital photography, playing music, etc.—consumers are voting with their wallets by choosing the best device for each task rather than one that does everything.

“It is important to understand this customer behavior if the wireless industry
is to offer commercially successful solutions,”

In-Stat analyst Bill Hughes said in a statement.

When it comes to advanced mobile phone features, In-Stat also found that business users (representing 43 percent of all respondents) were the ones interested in the increased productivity that SmartPhones can provide.

The question begs to be asked: are consumers carrying around multiple devices because it’s inherently easier to use one device for one function only, or because the all-in-one devices available don’t meet their needs?

In-Stat’s research offers some insight into this topic. In the survey discussed here, many of the wireless users queried said they consider additional capabilities to be a perk rather than a tool that provides enhanced, real-time data.

While almost half of the respondents said they believe that a SmartPhone could cut down on the number of devices they carry, but indicated they end up carrying a PDA regardless.

Source: TMCnet, Mae Kowalke