Smartphone features
Are Smartphones A Necessity?
Cell phones have certainly come a long way. It is one device that has gained considerable worldwide acceptance since it was first launched in 1983. Cell phones are no longer just seen as status symbols or simply as instruments of communication, but as powerful new tools that enable people to work outside the office.
Cell phones have in recent years been transformed into mini-computers dubbed “the smartphone”. For example, in 2008 for which data was available, out of the 1 billion camera phones shipped, smartphones which currently represent the high-end of the cell phone market, made up about 10% of the market or about 100 million units. The current smartphone brands are the popular Blackberry and iPhone, Palm, Nokia, Samsung and others. These products are an- Internet-connected multimedia devices with a multi-touch screen or a sliding keyboard. Smartphones are designed to function as a camera phone, portable media player, and with internet connectability: with text messaging, email, web browsing and local Wi-Fi connectivity.
Of interest, it must be noted that the increase in smartphone sales will come at the expense of cell phones currently cornering 90% of the market. The rapid growth of the market for smartphone has everything to do with the technology as it has to do with the consumer. The smartphone which is essentially a pocket computer enables its users to carry and access their information willy nilly. Just as portable lap top computers permitted desk-top users freedom of mobility, the smartphone allows its users the function of a desk-top PC with the portability of a laptop, and the utility of a cell phone.
In this severe economic down turn, where penny-pinching is commonplace, it is only reasonable that many people will turn away from luxury consumer items such as a smartphone purchase. Instead, many people are shelling out money to buy smartphones. To be sure, the sales of iPhones, Blackberrys and other smartphone models are rising rapidly. It is projected that growth will increase 25% this year alone. Other new models have either come on the market or are expected to be launched during the course of this year. The launching of newer smartphone brands will help to further popularize these devices and fuel their growth.
For a growing segment of the population, the social expectation is that one must stay connected and be reachable almost instantly by voice or email. The smartphone gives people that dual ability to stay connected, and therefore they can justify the cost of buying a smartphone. Smartphones are also seen as a status symbol. In the late 1990s it was fashionable for people to communicate via email and it was inexcusable not to have an email address. Similarly in the next several years society will expect everybody to be able to communicate by a smartphone.
The growth in demand for smartphones is largely due to the fact that they are seen as productivity tools in a society that is highly mobile. Indeed smartphones were introduced to address a given market segment. For instance, the Blackberry smartphone when intially launched focused on the clientele in the corporate world. Interestingly, it was the introduction of less business-oriented phones first by Blackberry that scored a hit with the general public and led to the widespread use of Blackberry which doubled its customer base from last year to 25 million. The smartphone growth has gathered momentum, but sales still account for only 25% of total cell phone shipments in the USA indicating that smartphones still have ways to go. However, the launching of new smartphones together with software offerings from companies such as RIM , Nokia, Apple, Microsoft, Google and others this year, smartphones will continue to make considerable inroads into the cell phone market.
Currently, smartphones are not cheap by any long shot. The handsets even with discounts from the wireless carriers typically cost a few hundred dollars, with the high-end going for several hundreds of dollars. The charges for their data and calling plans are usually in a range of a hundred dollars monthly. One of the keys to lowering prices in the long-term is the breeding of vigorous competition among the brands. But if one considers that the market for smartphones is a large one, then new entrants to the market will seek to corner part of the market instead of competing with existing smartphone brands. They may also sell books. However, the best avenue to making smart phones affordable to consumers is through innovation in smartphone technology that allows users to call and to connect to the internet no matter where they are at very reasonable cost.
It cannot be denied that even regular cell phones are getting smarter, and it’s only a matter of time before all cell phones have the advanced levels of functionality associated with today’s smartphones.
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Dr. Valerian Nakaar is an expert in science and technology who blogs about the latest technology. Want to learn more about a new smartphone offering? Go to: =>
http:// http://www.eliteconsumerhub.com
