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BLOG RSS Unofficial Matt Survey: New Smartphone Users Are Clueless!
This is a very broad generalization and no real survey has been taken, but from my own observations, it amazes me how little new smartphone users know about their device! Allow me to explain:
It seems that no matter where you turn, if someone has a smartphone in their hands, chances are it is a Blackberry or an iPhone. That’s a bitter pill to swallow, being a long-time Windows Mobile user, but it’s the truth. Anymore, I am hard-pressed to find someone carrying a Windows phone, and when I do, it’s cause for celebration! But I digress - back to my unofficial survey!
Of those countless people I run into who are using either a BB or an iPhone, I have begun asking them questions to see how much they use their device as a personal digital assistant (remember that word? PDA?). For the most part, the only PIM function the majority are using is Contacts. Using Calendar? Nah. How about Tasks? What?! And as far as backing up data, 4 out of 5 people I asked had no clue how to back up their info, so in the event they lost their device, they are screwed!
To so many of these new users, this is still just a phone that has a lot of fun stuff on it. For the majority, this is their first forray into a truly smart device, and so much of the power the smartphone remains untapped. Yes, the apps have opened up all sorts of possibilities, particularly for iPhone users - there’s an app for just about anything - but there is still an overriding sense of ignorance to some of the core functions! At my place of work alone, I have found over a dozen people (with iPhone, BB and Pre) who have not entered thing one into their calendar! When their phone rings in the middle of a meeting, I tell them that can be avoided by entering their appointments & meetings into their device, they say it never occurred to them! Helllooo!
The other night I was at a meeting outside of work, and the guy who was running the meeting had an iPhone and was presenting on a Mac. All the while, I took notes on my Touch Pro2 using Evernote, and at the end, he came over to me and said, “Wow, were you taking notes on that thing?!” as if it was some new amazing technique! Obviously he has never done such a thing on his iToy!
I challenge you to do your own unofficial survey. I think you too, will find that amongst new users of smartphones, the majority have no clue. Yes, I know I am a geek and ahead of the curve, but my survey has reminded me how devices have now reached the masses, which means the overall IQ of the mobile population has taken a steep dive!
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