60% Indians look for PC-like functionality in mobiles

Around 70 per cent of Indians believe the most important function of smartphones is to effectively send and receive emails and over 60 per cent of male respondents below the age of 30 desire to have a touch-based device, says a recent Windows Mobile-Synovate survey.

The study ‘How Mobile Are You’ polled nearly 2,500 respondents (over 513 in India) in five countries across Asia (Australia, China, India, Japan, and Taiwan) and highlights facts on consumer attitude and behaviour towards mobile phones especially smartphones.

The study also reveals that only 8 per cent didn’t know what a smartphone is. “This study clearly reiterates the importance of phones that provide PC-like capabilities and interface and points to how consumers increasingly prefer a single device that can help them synchronize their professional and personal lifestyles”, said Sumeet Gugnani, Director - Mobility Group, Microsoft India.

Cost was stated as the highest overall factor when choosing a mobile phone across most of the markets surveyed including India, with 70 per cent of Japanese agreeing to this statement.
 

Mobile usage in Indian consumers

* 79% people use a mobile phone during wedding ceremonies

* 77% people use it while eating meals with other people

* 59% of Indians use their phones during flight

* 69% use it at place of worship

* 40% of Indians consider it ok to receive phones during meetings

Around 71 per cent respondents in China and 65 per cent in India said that phone brands is the next most important to them deriving that Chinese and Indians are brand conscious while 70 per cent respondents in Japan are more concerned about the functionality of a phone.