An ABI Research survey on mobile phone users’ age-related feature and price assumptions found nearly half of the respondents in the 40-59 age bracket expected a touchscreen on a $50 mobile device.
The survey, conducted in February, aimed to discover what features people have on their phones, which are actually being used, and what features people of different ages expect to find on cellular handsets at various price-points.
The top features, present on more than half of all respondents’ phones, were a camera, Internet access, the ability to play music, to record video, to send and receive e-mail and to do instant messaging. A significantly higher proportion of those aged 18-29 had just such features, and some of a dozen others, in their phones.
ABI Research Practice Director Kevin Burden says the classic 80/20 rule prevailed; about 80 percent of those surveyed used only 20 percent of the available functions.
The survey also queried users about what they’d expect to find in phones costing $50, $100 and $150. Users of every age assumed that they would find Internet access, e-mail and music in phones at all price points.
