100,000 smartphone users were questioned.
By Dileep Thekkethi
New research by Ericsson has revealed that many consumers believe that the erra of smartphones will be over within five years.
ConsumerLab of Ericsson questioned 100,000 smartphone users in Sweden and 39 other countries regarding their technological aspiration for the future. Surprisingly, more than 50% of the respondents felt that smartphones will go into history books by 2021 as superior technology such as Artificial Intelligence will replace the mobile technology.
Rebecka Catering Ångström of Ericsson ConsumerLab said: “A smartphone in the hand, it’s really not that practical. For example, not when one is driving a car or cooking. And there are many situations where display screens are not so good. Therefore, one in two thinks that smartphones will belong to the past within five years.”
She also predicts that evolving technologies will enable customers to enhance their leisure time.
“Just imagine watching football and being able to choose where you want to see the game from different places in the stands, or perhaps even from the pitch. Shopping is also an area where you could [virtually] try on shoes and see how they fit on your own feet.”
The report Titled, 10 Hot Consumer Trends for 2016 claims to have taken into consideration the views of 1.1 billion people across 24 countries.
Michael Björn, Head of Research at Ericsson ConsumerLab, said: “Some of these trends may seem futuristic. But consumer interest in new interaction paradigms such as AI and virtual reality (VR), as well as in embedding the internet in the walls of homes or even in our bodies, is quite strong. This means we could soon see new consumer product categories appearing – and whole industries transforming – to accommodate this development.”