New Features Boost Cell-Phone Sales
So which is it? We were just talking about how most users have said they basically want smaller, cheaper, mobile phones that work rather than all sorts of advanced features. Yet, the latest study from IDC says that new features, like camera phones, are boosting mobile phone sales. Of course, the answer could be that both findings are correct. We are dealing with a large population that has different tastes, after all. And it takes a smaller number of early adopters buying more expensive feature-filled phones to make the numbers look good. Also, there may be two additional factors at work: (1) people often say one thing, but when comes time to do something, they go in the opposite direction and (2) even if they don’t want the feature-filled phones, they may get pressured into buying them anyway. They may be told that they need such a phone to get a certain plan, or the mobile phone store may display such phones much more prominently. Finally, maybe the feature filled phones are smaller and better – thus convincing people to buy them for that reason, and then letting them discover the other features later.
