While the handset market shows signs of slowing down and handset makers lower expectations for the year, a report from Yankelovich Partners Inc. commissioned by Lets-Talk.com shows tech-savvy Americans may want more wireless devices than they have now.
According to the 1,023 people surveyed, 82 percent said they wanted to own a mobile phone. More notably, more than half of those surveyed said they would carry more than one device, which could be a sign that the market for wireless devices isn’t at a standstill.
According to a recent study from Dataquest Inc., a unit of Gartner Group Inc., phone sales increased 46 percent last year, but analysts warned of a slowdown in the market this year. Those concerns were reinforced with a warning from Nokia Corp., the No. 1 handset manufacturer with 30 percent of the worldwide market, which lowered its sales expectation for this year. Other manufacturers, including Motorola Inc., have had to streamline operations and resort to layoffs to stymie slowing sales and flagging profits. Earlier this month, French electronics maker Alcatel warned of a loss in its handset division, proof the European market isn’t immune to U.S. industry troubles.
However, the results from Lets-Talk.com’s survey show mobile users in the United States are still interested in acquiring more wireless devices.
“This survey shows that, in the minds of Americans, no single device can manage all different functionalities of a cell phone, a portable e-mail device or a wireless PDA (personal digital assistant),” said Delly Tamer, LetsTalk.com’s president and chief executive officer. “Americans are willing to carry several mobile devices in order to have access to key communications tools and to increase their productivity.”
While more than half of the respondents would carry more than one wireless device, according to the study, an especially mobile 25 percent of those surveyed said they would carry three or four devices. Phones still topped the want list of most respondents, but 35 percent said they would prefer a two-way e-mail device; 30 percent said they wanted a PDA; and 11 percent expressed no interest in owning a wireless device.
Additionally, of the participants who said they wanted another wireless device to complement their phone, 37 percent chose a two-way e-mail device, slightly more than the 32 percent who wanted a PDA.
