Smartphones a clear choice over mobile Internet devices
Posted by Dennis Sellers 
May 30, 2008 at 7:24am
If Apple were to release an ultra-mobile device (UMD) or ultra-mobile PC (UMPC)—and I think theyt will—the biggest challenge might be convincing folks why they should buy one.
As categories of mobile devices converge, there are four primary types of productivity tools—the ultra-mobile PC (UMPC), the mobile Internet device (MID), smartphones, and smartphones with mobile companions. And the clear winner in an In-Stat survey of U.S. consumers is the smartphone, either alone or with a mobile companion, the high-tech market research firm says.
Nearly half of the respondents chose the benefits and capabilities associated with smartphones. Fewer than 10 percent 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,” says Bill Hughes, In-Stat analyst. “That smartphones are established as a valuable solution today makes the sales process easier than for the other mobile device options.”
Recent research by In-Stat found the following:
° Mobile companions for smartphones are also popular, but users have unrealistically low expectations for pricing.
° About one-quarter of users like the idea of the ultra-mobile PC, as long as it does not involve sacrificing the capabilities of a full-function laptop.
° Those showing an interest in MIDs were unclear about how they would use these devices or where to buy them.
° 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.” At the same time, they tend to overestimate the actual cost of smartphones.
° Many employees expect to purchase these devices for themselves, rather than their employer supply these productivity tools.
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Contributor
Dennis Sellers
Dennis has been a newspaper editor/reporter (seven years) and teacher (seven years). He has over 4,000 magazine, newspaper and online articles to his credit. He has also covered the Mac and tech industries for over a decade for such online publications as MacCentral, MacMinute and now MacsimumNews.
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