Simple cellphones: it's the demographics, stupid

Stephen Withers
Monday, 28 May 2007 15:07

Your IT - Mobility

Stuart Corner is quite right when he talks about 'bells and whistles' fatigue among cellphone buyers, but I think the issue is more about demographics than anything else.

Mobile phone penetration is very high in many countries, so manufacturers are faced with the task of either persuading people to replace their phones more frequently or finding ways of reaching the market niches that have yet resisted the temptation.

There is unquestionably a desire among many older people (and I use that term as a baby boomer) for phones that are just phones. This subgroup doesn't want music players, SMS, cameras, games, Bluetooth, Internet access and all the other goodies that come with modern phones. They just want to make and receive voice calls as easily as possible.

Case in point: someone I know - let's be discreet and describe her as 'over 60' - has been using mobiles for several years but recently received a new one from her adult daughter as part of a fleet deal that provides for free calling within the family. The trouble is, the new phone diverts incoming calls to voicemail after one or two rings, so she can never get it out of her bag quickly enough. Presumably this setting could be changed, but it's just too much trouble to bother with - instead she's trained the family to ring a second time if she doesn't answer immediately.

There's sure to be a 'missed calls' register in there somewhere, but it's too well hidden. The same goes for the phonebook - she used to keep the family's numbers in her old phones, but since she got the new one she makes very few outgoing calls.

It's not that people like my acquaintance aren't motivated: phone user interfaces just haven't kept up with the growing complexity caused by the  number of functions. Nor should you accuse them of being Luddites or technophobes - it's just a phone, and it should be easy to use.

Another factor is eyesight. Not everyone goes in for laser surgery or bifocals, and once you get past 40 or so some age-related degeneration seems inevitable. Big, clear displays and buttons become increasingly attractive features.

If simpler phones haven't sold in sufficient quantities to justify their development, I suggest it is because they have been overpriced or insufficiently widely available. The Vodafone Simply was on the right lines, but was substantially more expensive than far more feature-rich phones. More recently, Motorola's MOTOFONE came close to hitting the spot, but is only available on Optus prepaid. Why should you have to switch carrier just to get the phone you need?