Most mobile users still feel there is a gap between their computers and their mobile devices, according to data published by Skype from a Zobgy survey.
The gap correlates with the finding that the majority of mobile users do not yet download applications to their mobile devices. The same group says they want to be able to choose mobile applications for themselves, and not have their carriers decide what applications they can use. The survey found that people will pay more for a device that will allow them to control applications.
More than half (62%) of users do not yet view their mobile device as an extension of their computer and only 23 percent feel they have more or the same amount of control over their mobile device as they have over their computer.
Scott Durchslag
Nearly three-quarters (70%) have never downloaded an application to their mobile device and 67 percent want to be able to choose their mobile applications for themselves.
Younger adults have a different view of what a mobile device is than their older counterparts. When asked if they view their mobile device as a phone to make calls on, a computer to access the Internet and download applications, or both, younger respondents were less likely to view their mobile device as just a phone.
“This is a clear call to action for all of us in the communications industry – carriers, device manufacturers, and software companies like Skype – to work together to deliver what the mobile consumer, especially the next generation of device and data plan buyers, obviously want and expect,” said Scott Durchslag, Chief Operating Officer of Skype.
“Together, we can bring a rich PC-like communications experience to mobile devices – one that combines voice, video, presence, instant messaging, and file sharing. In doing so, consumers win, and so does the industry as it fuels growth in data minutes and revenues.”
