KOCHI: How many times have you sat in a bus, beside an elderly person, gaping into his brand new Samsung or HTC smartphone, playing ‘Temple Run’ or ‘Subway Surfer’? Countless times you’ve run into people watching movies and videos on their smartphones, in trains or other public places. What introduced such a lifestyle in the average middle class man’s life, who used to feel proud of owning Nokia cellphones which offered them 24-hour-long battery standby?
Android-platformed smartphones, with their immense collection of applications and games, have tactically captured the market. The customer is literally awestruck when he sees the amount of apps and games. Google Play Store provides them for downloading, and most of them for free. What does it cost them? Deficient battery standby. A bulk of smartphones in the market currently, such as Samsung, HTC, LG and Micromax, are run on Android platform. Apparently, a great deal of entertainment at an economical budget is what generated these phones such a large number of users. Close observation reveals a tight competition amongst these cellphones.
Samsung produces smartphones ranging from `4,580 to `51,000, the platform and basic features remaining the same in almost every model.
“Though a little expensive, HTC offers great customer satisfaction,” claims sellers throughout the city. However, even with the matching features and economically affordable price, Micromax is just a few steps behind these international brands.
Nevertheless, Nokia hasn’t failed to impose an impression on young smartphone enthusiasts. Nokia Lumia, operating on Windows platform, has been successful in marketing its smartphones after rectifying certain shortcomings in the previous models.
On the other hand, Apple iphone, in spite of releasing a new model, stays in demand just because of its high image and ‘show-off’ status symbol.
Looking at Blackberry users, they are long gone into abeyance. But, there exists certain businessmen who still opt for Blackberry. Hafeez, who owns a retail shop in ‘4in Bazaar,’ says, “Its highly flawless mailing aspects make me go for Blackberry every single time.”
All these apart, the latest trending Motorola smartphone with the tag “the best smartphone under `20,000” Moto E, Moto G and Moto X surprisingly have created a huge flurry in the market. Although open for sale only through online websites, this smartphone grabbed the attention of the whole nation. But again, lack of service centres for such smartphones makes the buyer apprehensive before affirming.
Conventional Nokia phone users have their take on the subject. “A cellphone’s sole purpose is to make and receive calls. If I can do that with my Nokia 1600, why should I bother. Apart from that, my Nokia has a really great battery backup, which comes handy while I’m on a long journey”, says 26-year-old Shehin, who has been a Nokia user since it was first launched in Kozhikode.
Anyway, it can be concluded that as long as people crave for more and more features in cellphones, its marketing and sales will stay, undoubtedly an ever-flourishing business.