Cameraphones Coming on Strong as Preferred Device for Everyday Photos: InfoTrends

Cameraphones Coming on Strong as Preferred Device for Everyday Photos: InfoTrends

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Weymouth, MA—It’s no great news that cameraphones have become a mainstream technology, but InfoTrends’ 2012 U.S. Mobile Imaging End-User Survey explores how today’s higher megapixel cameraphones are affecting the digital photography market and the impact this will have on digital still cameras.

The research firm has been documenting a strong increase in smartphone usage since its 2011 mobile imaging study, and it now reports that the share of respondents whose primary phone was a smartphone with a camera rose dramatically from 24% in 2011 to nearly 46% in 2012.

More important, consumers are now using the ubiquitous smartphone as their camera of choice for everyday photos. InfoTrends has seen cameraphone usage rise across all age groups, despite the fact that in 2011 there was a significant drop-off in cameraphone use among respondents over 35. This, however, is no longer true, reports InfoTrends.

“In 2012, well over half of study participants owned cameraphones, even in the oldest demographic. Mobile phone vendors should offer a variety of products, bearing in mind that not all customers are alike. A young, tech-savvy professional will likely insist on a smartphone, but this same handset will seem overpriced and highly complicated to the average retiree,” cautions InfoTrends.

The study notes that one concern mobile photographers continue to report is dissatisfaction with printing from their smartphones: “Almost all respondents who used their mobile phones to take photos expect their printing of mobile photos to increase or remain the same over the next two years. However, of these respondents, only 35% were satisfied with the photo printing experience” Although advancements have recently been made in this area, InfoTrends encourages handset vendors to continue working with OS and print vendors to further simplify the mobile image printing process.

InfoTrends’ 2012 Mobile Imaging End-User Survey is currently available. infotrends.com

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