Consumers prefer GPS over Internet: Study
December 24, 2007
GPS-enabled phones act as instant personal guides by identifying the user’s location and providing maps
New research claims that consumers prefer a location-based GPS feature on their mobile phone over Internet access.
Twenty-four percent of mobile phone users stated they want their next mobile phone to have GPS, while 19 percent said they want phones with Internet capabilities, according to Leo J. Shapiro & Associates, which conducted phone interviews with 450 consumers earlier this month.
“One of things we found is there is a rapid adoption of GPS,” said Owen Shapiro, vice president of Leo J. Shapiro, Chicago. “It really is a compelling new way to organize their plans.”
Most GPS devices owners don’t have GPS-enabled phones, the survey found. In fact, 51 percent of current GPS owners have a portable GPS device and 39 percent have GPS device in the car, but a mere 6 percent have a GPS-enabled mobile phone.
A GPS-enabled phone identifies the user’s location and provides maps from a geographic information system, which then acts as an instant personal guide.
Sixty percent of survey respondents report recent use of Web sites such as Mapquest and Google Maps. While 94 percent have heard of GPS, only 32 percent have used it.
"[Our research found that] the purchase and use of GPS-enabled devices is not confined to segments of the population in which early adopters are generally the young, highly educated or affluent,” Mr. Shapiro said. “Today's GPS-enabled devices are being widely adopted, including among the middle-aged and elderly.
“As this breakout unfolds, we expect intensifying marketplace competition among the incumbent and newcomer brands as they race for dominance in this explosively growing market," he said.