Consumer preference shifts from PCs to smartphones

A personal survey has shown that smartphones have become consumers’ new preferred computer. You can talk and send message with/to loved ones whenever you please, have video conversations across national boundaries, capture moments in life – big and small, and access the collective knowledge of the entire planet, all with a small handset that can slip into your purse or pocket easily.

If you already own a smartphone, you know the power it put in your palm. If you do not, it is easy to find out how getting one transforms the way we interact with the world.

A new report from Juniper Research has found that over 400 million phablets (coined from phone and tablet) will be shipped in 2019, a five-fold increase over the 138 million devices estimated to be shipped in 2015. While the iPhone 6 Plus has brought the category further into the limelight, it is budget devices that will drive phablets (smartphones with 5.5-6.9” screens) into the global mainstream.

The report, Tablets, Phablets & Hybrids: Ecosystem Evolution, Vendor Landscape & Forecasts 2014 – 2019, has found that with steady increases in smartphone screen sizes, many flagship smartphones are likely to be phablets by default within two or three years. This is because consumers worldwide are increasingly using smartphones as media consumption and gaming devices, which offer richer experiences through a larger screen.

Consumers with phablets will be less likely to buy smaller-screened tablets, and the price of larger screens may put them off entirely. Juniper expects this trend to slow tablet adoption in markets where consumers already do most computing on smartphones.

The report also found that for many stakeholders, device elements are becoming more similar. “The same chips can now power any mobile device, from smartphones to laptops,” remarked report aJames Moar. “Hardware capabilities are blurring, with devices like cellular-connected tablets, phablets and smartphones with console-level graphics and sound systems becoming much more common. This shifts device design parameters to budgets and use cases, rather than technological features.”

Smartphones have really become more affordable, driving internet adoption in Nigeria. Many of them can perform complex computing task, throwing up wider implications for PC market.

Few years ago, the Nigerian smartphone market was dominated by the likes of Nokia, Apple, BlackBerry, Samsung, HTC, and now Lenovo.

Rarely do some of Nigerian users, particularly youths, want to have Chinese phones in their possession, because of its perceived quality; they just want to get these smartphones as long as it can perform what other smartphones of higher quality can do.

At present, 25 percent of Nigeria’s over 116 million mobile subscribers use smartphones, global market research company, TNS said. This is an indication of the enormous potential inherent in the smartphone market.

According to smartphone report from Juniper Research, it could just be a few years away before cheap smartphones sales overtake high-end sales. The research company expects ‘ultra-low cost’ smartphone sales to grow to 200 million in 2018, and it predicted only 10 million in sales for that segment next year. With that low-end growth, Juniper predicted that the high-end smartphone market will ‘diminish proportionally.’

Analysts told BusinessDay that Apple and BlackBerry might struggle in the race to dominate Nigeria’s vibrant smartphone market. But other device makers with extensive portfolios, accommodating both high-end and low-cost smartphones won’t be fazed at all.

Hence, there seems to be a shift in the taste of consumers in the country for smartphones, as they are giving users options to do what they can do on their iPads and laptops on their smartphones.

These days, it is very common to see a customer send tweet, post messages on Facebook, send emails and also send files on his phones without having to set up his laptop.

The latest Samsung Galaxy phones are also offering consumers state-of-the-art apps and options defining how phones are being used.

Undoubtedly, the continuous advancement of technological inventions mostly in the areas of internet facilities is enormous, its demand by consumers and relevance in recent years cannot be overemphasised. A remarkable shift has been recorded right from the invention of computer, laptop and down to iPad. These developments have also affected dealership on the brand in relation to demand and supply, either in making huge returns or static market situation, specifically on these two brands.

Interestingly, consumers have been faced with the dilemma of choice as a result of conflicting brands, mostly between laptops and iPads. It is not just because of the range of laptop PC brands available in the market, but because of the different types of computing devices that have been launched. With devices like the Apple iPad, an average consumer’s question would be, “should I buy a laptop or tablet PC?” “So, which one is better, iPad or laptop?”

Though there have been high demand for iPad, even most intending buyers are keen at purchasing iPad instead of laptop, despite its enormous advantages in some aspects over the iPad, while some still place demand for laptops.

Anne Agbaje