Press Room

Independent Survey Identifies Consumer Demand for Converged Devices

Kyocera 7135 cell/PDA phone wins Beyondbeta Award

Portland, OR - January 8, 2003 - Zanthus, a leading market research-based consulting company, today unveiled the results of its first Beyondbeta Awards survey. According to the independent consumer survey, the soon-to-be released Kyocera 7135 is the most sought-after cellular/Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) combination phone in the U.S. market. The Web-based survey, conducted by the Portland, Ore., research company, was designed to determine how well converged devices, like the Kyocera 7135, will meet the needs of consumers.

As part of the survey, 438 consumers nationwide evaluated eight recently and soon-to-be released converged devices. The survey included a mix of self-described early adopters and more typical consumers. Nearly 19 percent of those surveyed said they would purchase the Kyocera 7135 provided cost was not an issue. Interested consumers appreciated the all-in-one nature of the model, its compact size and apparent ease-of-use. The second-most popular device among survey participants was the AudioVox 2032SP. This device generated purchase interest from about 17 percent of those surveyed. Other models included in the survey ranked in order of interest were the Nokia 9290, Handspring Treo 270, Sony Ericsson P800, Blackberry 6710, Samsung SPH I-500, and T-Mobile Sidekick (made by Danger, a Palo Alto, Calif., start-up).

"It's clear from this survey that most consumers are looking for a mobile phone first and a PDA second," said Mike Lehman, president of Zanthus. "The converged devices that rose to the top were those that started primarily as phones."

In the survey, Zanthus also tested consumer demand based on retail prices and new features being added to the devices. The survey revealed the following:

Penetration of converged devices will improve considerably as prices decline. For example, of the 17 percent of consumers that expressed serious interest in the AudioVox 2032SP, 13 percent indicated they would wait to purchase the product (currently priced at $729) or purchase another product instead.
Likely purchasers of a converged device currently tend to own either just a cell phone or two standalone devices. For instance, among those interested in the Kyocera 7135, 36 percent own just a cell phone and 40 percent have two discrete devices of some kind.
Sixty-four percent of the typical consumer survey participants said a feature that would automatically find the fastest available Internet connection, for anytime, anywhere connectivity, would be 'very appealing.' This increased to 86 percent among early adopters.
Other features of interest in ranked order include: a color screen display, an expansion slot for added memory, a built-in speaker phone and the ability to synchronize with Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Notes.

About Zanthus
Zanthus brings a unique scientific rigor to business consulting. The kind of research-informed consulting emerging and established leaders need to make critical business decisions—confidently. Based in Portland, Ore., the firm provides a rare combination of research and industry expertise exclusively to high-tech companies. The firm is particularly well-known for its commitment to reliable research methods and analytical techniques.

View PDF

###