A recent study by NDP Group concluded that American cell phone sales were down 13% this quarter, the third quarter in a row to show a decline. The cost per phone has gone up 14% to $84, but the real kicker is that smartphone sales have doubled since last year, with particular emphasis on the full QWERTY devices out there (like BlackBerrys). The reasoning?
“One explanation might be that there’s a group of consumers that’s holding off, making do with the devices that they have, either because of larger economic concerns or because they don’t see any value yet in the new voice and data services that are driving some of these new handsets,” [said Ross Rubin, NDP's director of industry analysis.]
There’s definitely a grain of truth there, considering how simplistic layouts like the iPhone are winning over a wider audience. The new flip BlackBerry will certainly be tapping into the “I just want a phone” audience by latching onto a recognizable form factor, and potentially be taking an even bigger bite out of the standard cell phone market. It’s just a matter of selling folks on the data services…
(via AP)
Filed under News | Permalink | One comment | Add to Del.icio.us or Digg
No comments:
Post a Comment