Dive Brief:
- In 2017, end-users worldwide are projected to spend 2% more on PCs, ultramobiles and mobile phones when looking to purchase new devices, according to a recent forecast by Gartner. Buying devices — particularly mobile phones — at a higher average selling price, users are projected to spend almost $600 billion on devices this year, up from $587 billion in 2016.
- The higher average selling prices stem from increased component prices and users' willingness to spend more to invest in "value and higher quality phones," according to Gartner.
- While spending on ultramobiles — lightweight computing devices, such as tablets or convertibles — is set to decrease in 2017 and investment in PCs will remain stagnant, users are expected to spend almost $400 billion on mobile phones this year, up 4.3% from last year.
Dive Insight:
Rather than looking for the cheapest phone or PC, users are adopting technology that suits their lifestyle. When users look to for a new device, they focus on quality and the features readily present in a basic mobile phone.
This year, users have new-to-market devices to look forward to: Apple and Samsung are rolling out new smartphones. If patterns stemming from previous product releases are an indication, some avid users will look to quickly adopt the device, no matter the cost.
As technology has modernized, devices have become more intuitive to user needs. In turn, whether in personal use or in the workplace, end-users are have basic functionality demands from a device.
For businesses, this means ensuring workplace end-users have the tools they need to work quickly and efficiently, without facing technical constraints. Adopting new, advanced devices in their personal lives, users are going to want to see similar modernization in the workplace, potentially leading to increased investment from the business.
