U.S. gadget lovers not driving mobile development

Cyndy Aleo-Carreira — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:11:59 -0700

The U.S. is regularly stereotyped as a country of gadget-gluttons, but a recent study by Ipsos MediaCT shows that Americans aren't the only ones in a techno-buying frenzy. According to the study, the title of biggest mobile device consumers actually goes to developing countries.

The full study, titled InterAct: Global Digital Technology Trends, shows that urban areas in India, China, and Brazil show high demand for mobile phones and MP3 players, in many cases, a higher demand than the U.S. In urban China, for instance, 98% of the population report owning cell phones, while 43% of the population plans to buy a new phone this year. If you compare that figure to the U.S., 79% of those surveyed already owned a phone, and 34% plan to buy a new phone this year. More of the U.S. respondents who intend to buy a new phone (9%) are first-time buyers, mainly due to the market saturation in China. Urban Brazil has a current owner base closer to that of the U.S., with the same 79%, but 55% of those surveyed planned on buying a new phone this year, with 22% of those intended buyers first-time purchasers.

The full report, available to subscribers, includes data on 11 markets, and includes data on MP3 players, hand-held gaming devices, and laptops as well.

Image by Pete Markham. Used under Creative Commons Share-Alike licensing.

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U.S. gadget lovers not driving mobile development