Many Consumers Want Dedicated Mobile Devices

Finally some research that supports my position. Guideline Research has announced the results of a survey that indicates 49% of consumers have no desire for multifunctional devices. Call me a Luddite if you must, but I'm one of the 49% that wants to keep things separate.

That is at least until form factors come down in size and the quality of the add-on features goes up. I have no desire to carry around a large PDA/phone and am sick of .3MP digital cameras in phones and PDAs. I'm not fighting the future though; I know convergence devices will lead the way. I'm just waiting until the time is right. For now I prefer a small PDA and a tiny phone.

The Guideline report is interesting though. The survey consisted of 1,000 participants, of which 25% thought converged devices offer limited functionality and 49% have no interest in these products. Don't rule out the power of early adopters though. 40% were anxious to own a multifunction device and 10% said they already own one.

The survey went on to reveal that among consumers who want more functionality, they preferred devices that include the following:

-Phones, 79.6 % 
-Digital Cameras, 57.4%
-PDA (such as Palm or Pocket PC), 47.3%
-Television, 38.4 %
-GPS, 33%
-Handheld Gaming, 28.1%
-Two-Way Paging, 25.8%

To purchase the report or for more information, visit the Guideline site (http://www.guidelineresearch.com/).