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Mickey.Taiwan

12/22/2012 11:03 PM EST

I, as an innocent bystander, do second quite a bit what Bert had said. You can ...

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chanj

12/20/2012 5:08 PM EST

Smartphone and Tablet are no doubt continuous to be the primary focus of most ...

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Ericsson outlines 10 hot consumer trends for 2013

Sylvie Barak

12/19/2012 6:23 PM EST

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Infrastructure maker Ericsson Inc. may be more on the network side of things, but that hasn’t stopped the firm’s ConsumerLab from coming up with a list of top trends it sees moving into 2013.

After polling some 100,000 individuals in more than 40 countries and 15 megacities, the firm believes it has identified some key movements for the coming year, including how the cloud is reshaping consumer needs, how women seem to be driving the smartphone market and how the younger demographic is influencing society via the internet.

The first trend, according to Ericsson’s report is that cloud reliance is reshaping device needs. “More than 50 percent of tablet users and well above 40 percent of smartphone users in USA, Japan, Australia and Sweden appreciate the improved simplicity of having the same apps and data seamlessly available through the cloud on multiple devices,” said the report.



The second trend, said Ericsson, is the death of the task list and the rise of impulse decision making from a tablet or handheld device. Purchase intent, the firm found, was becoming ever more spur of the moment and was higher for tablets compared to desktop PCs, and for smartphones compared to laptops.

Bring your own broadband to work is the third trend being pinpointed by Ericsson, with a massive 57 percent of smartphone users admitting to using their personal smartphone subscriptions in the workplace. “Personal smartphones are increasingly being used for work, to send emails, plan business trips, find locations and more,” said Ericsson’s report.

City slickers are going more mobile too, according to the trend report, accessing the internet always and everywhere. Total smartphone subscriptions will reach 3.3 billion by 2018, according to Ericsson, and mobile network coverage is one of the most important drivers of satisfaction for city life says the report.

Making an entrance at number five is the important issue of personal social security networks, which has apparently arisen as a result of economic turbulence and a growing distrust of traditional structures and authorities. Consumers, according to the report, are increasingly placing that trust instead in their personal communities. “Personal networks online serve as a safety net and social media is shaping up to be a serious contender to the traditional job agency,” said the report.

The smartphone market, it seems, is also finding itself increasingly driven by women. New figures clearly show that women drive mass-market smartphone adoption and 97 percent of female smartphone owners also use SMS. A total of 77 percent send and receive photos, 59 percent use social networking, 24 percent check in at locations and 17 percent redeem coupons. Ericsson found that the numbers were lower for men in all of the aforementioned areas.

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Bert22306

12/19/2012 9:31 PM EST

I think the saying goes, "If you're a hammer, everything looks like a nail." Seems to apply here.

Not that I disagree with much of what Ericsson suggests. However, it's hardly going to surprise anyone that smartphones, tablets, and social networking sites are a big deal, right? It's not an insightful "new trend" for 2013. It's a trend that has been evolving for decades. And naturally, companies that are or were heavily involved in mobile phones will see the world with that perspective.

I found the business about women driving the trend interesting, though. Can't say I noticed any such gender gap, but I'll make sure to pay attention.

What about some real predictions? Like, that hand-held gadgets will give way to more wearable or embedded electronics? That seems like a no-brainer. The actual trend, IMO, has been going on since at least WWII. It's called ever-more pervasive computing.

Hand-held gadgets are nothing more than the most OBVIOUS manifestation of this trend, to the innocent bystander. But just as minicomputers were hardly the end of a trend, 30 years ago, hand-held gadgets are only a stepping stone. You can bet that people won't forever be hanging down their heads to peer at some smartphone or tablet.

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Mickey.Taiwan

12/22/2012 11:03 PM EST

I, as an innocent bystander, do second quite a bit what Bert had said. You can bet, those wearable wireless self-charging internet mobile devices (iMD) will be the coming star in next decade or two. You may view and connect interactively what you are thinking of in your mind via the connectivity of α-/β-brainwave's HMI (Human-Machine Interface) and most 3D Virtual-Reality projection gadgets.

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chanj

12/20/2012 5:08 PM EST

Smartphone and Tablet are no doubt continuous to be the primary focus of most computers' and mobile phones' makers in this decade. I will be very interested in knowing what else will be added to these devices to make it more useful given the unlimited possibility of apps.

Today's morning, while I was driving to work, a talk on NPR mentioned about health care. This is also one of the trends which has started in 2011. I bet 2013 CES will have a lot more mature or half mature products out.

Social networking movement will continue. Where will facebook go? Will it become one of the myspace's social network sites? UI will likely continue to evolve; better and more intuitive. On top of it, the business model of social networking will be tuned up.

Speaking of social networking and mobile apps, general public is concern of security and spread of personal information. The article has mentioned a bit of it. I wish there are more in this area. Maybe, there will be more article in this area to come in 2013. ;)

Merry X'mas!

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