Being mobile is not only fast becoming the behavioural pattern of people, it forms part of their day to day activities.
People seek to know what is going on in the ever changing world; they want to keep up with trends in an emerging world full of technological innovations and advancements.
Global smartphone penetration is recorded to be at an all-time high, with many buying smartphones for reasons ranging from entertainment to productivity purposes. In Nigeria, smartphones are increasingly becoming popular as they have become commonplace devices for everyone from professionals to busy moms.
Mobile Communications companies are constantly filling the gap by producing smartphones and mobile devices to meet the needs of these consumers. One of such companies is LG Electronics (LG) with its wide array of forward-thinking mobile devices.
Consumers are always on, actively leveraging their devices for information and entertainment.
They are engaging with messages and interacting with brands in ways that are as unique to them as it likely is to the brand. Most of them rely on their mobile smartphones to provide real time information to them on the go without having to go through hassles thus making it their adopted partner in their day to day activity.
As the business world evolves and organisational mobility becomes a greater priority within enterprises, business professionals owning smartphones is a trend that is increasingly top-of-mind.
Smartphone usage is powering design
In 2013, two major firms in the United States: Facebook and analyst firm International Data Corporation (IDC) collaborated on a study named “Always Connected” which aimed to showcase the relationship between smartphones and social activities.
The study focused on the behaviour of Android and smartphone owners, over 70 percent of whom believe in smartphone connections as the best and preferred form of direct communication to their friends and contemporaries.
One of the key take-aways relevant for the ongoing innovation of mobile and which lies behind many of the key smartphone trends is that people are spending less and less time using smartphones as phones.
The study highlighted that only 16 per cent of user’s time was spent using their devices as a phone, whereas other activities such as emailing (78 percent), web browsing (73 percent) and playing games (60 percent) ranked much higher.
As a result of these usage patterns the design and form of the latest mobile phones is starting to change. Bigger screens, more human-centric UX and the rising popularity of large display smartphones which mix the best of phone / PC functions all point towards users now viewing their devices more as pocketable, personal computers as opposed to just phones, a distinction which has allowed for a exciting slew of innovative new products which aim to meet the changing needs of the smartphone user. The research was conducted via an online survey over one week in March 2013.
Making flagship products available to the masses
Bigger has apparently meant better in the competitive world of smartphones. The size of the average smartphone has increased dramatically over the past few years to the point where manageable product variations are now called “mini” or ‘lite’ by many of the vendors that sell them.
However, as the world’s smartphone using population increases, these smaller, more compact versions of flagship products remain hugely important to the ongoing health of the industry.
A key factor is that smartphone growth is beginning to slow in developed markets like the United States and Western Europe, where giant smartphones with the latest features are a hot commodity. Emerging markets like Africa and Asia are seen as the key future growth driver in this category however consumers in these regions are more budget-conscious.
By: Ben Uzor Jr
