Nearly half of US gadget lovers are looking for a single device which can cater for all their needs, a new study has shown.
A survey by Data Development Worldwide (DDW) showed that 40 per cent of American consumers would prefer to access all of their digital requirements via one product.
DDW’s research, which questioned US consumers who were likely to purchase a mobile device during the next three months, showed that smartphones and ultra light laptops ranked highest in people’s wish lists.
Full-sized laptops, GPS devices and netbook computers made up the rest of the top five.
Although respondents said they wanted versatility from their next buy, satisfactory performance and an affordable price were other important factors in influencing their choice.
Chip Lister, managing director of DDW, said that the product which will dominate the market will have “the right mix of capabilities delivered at the right price”.
The study showed that Apple’s iPhone 3GS was the best example of a product offering these services.
Features include GPS navigation, a personal music player, mobile email and a touchscreen.
A study by market research firm Gartner predicts that the number of consumers using phones for location-based services across the world is expected to double during 2009.
