MobilePipeline reports on a new Forrester survey indicating users really don't want to combine their mobile phone and PDAs after all. For example, mobile phone users don't seem to think that they really want all those PDA features.
Many PDA enthusiasts have been saying this for quite a while, scoffing at the idea that adding a phone to a PDA is a always a good thing. Citing feature compromises, battery life, size, cost, and a host of other reasons the idea of independent devices is more palatable. But the industry experts have loudly and confidently proclaimed that the smartphone category will almost completely squeeze out the separate PDA and mobile phone categories.
Don't count out smartphones though.... pretty soon the compromises may start to disappear as technology improves. And consumers might not really know what they want. There was a time when people didn't think they wanted a microwave either!
Forrester's summary (buy the whole article for just $249) says...
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PDAs and phones seem to be on a collision course as PDAs get connectivity, phones get bigger screens and richer operating systems, and device makers experiment with new form factors that attempt to marry the two. These integrated devices form the bulk of the "smartphone" category. However, the majority of both mobile phone and PDA users are consistent in saying that they are not interested in this marriage — each device fulfills a different need. While PDAs will continue to integrate phone features that reinforce the device's core functions and smartphones will appeal to PDA owners who crave a single device, the majority of phone manufacturers will pick and choose those PDA attributes that make sense for individual customer segments.
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