Poor battery performance in mobile handsets may hinder the uptake of emerging media services by consumers, reports IMS Research.
Operators and handset manufacturers are both counting on multimedia applications such as mobile TV, MP3 players and satnav to drive data services and ARPU. However, studies have consistently shown that consumers’ primary requirements for their mobile phones are the voice and text services. Flat batteries caused by power-hungry apps will quickly discourage consumers from using them on a regular basis.
IMS analyst Bill Morelli noted: “With the trend, particularly for high-end models, to bundle in as much functionality as possible there will be an increasing strain on battery life. When they first came to market, all reports on 3G handsets were that they were big, bulky and of short battery life and this is the perception that many users still have today.”
Unfortunately, there have only been incremental increases in battery storage capacity in recent years, and no real breakthroughs are seen in the immediate future.
IMS analyst Bill Morelli noted: “With the trend, particularly for high-end models, to bundle in as much functionality as possible there will be an increasing strain on battery life. When they first came to market, all reports on 3G handsets were that they were big, bulky and of short battery life and this is the perception that many users still have today.”
Unfortunately, there have only been incremental increases in battery storage capacity in recent years, and no real breakthroughs are seen in the immediate future.