Smartphones have absolutely exploded the last several years, ever since the debut of the original iPhone in 2007. While that may be the case, expect fewer models this year according to executives.
One of the biggest reasons why isn’t because they’re not selling, it’s because too many models leads to confusion and having a small line of products to choose from is much more enticing to consumers.
Where there is too much to choose from, consumers can get overwhelmed and unsure of what to go with.
“Speaking at CES this week, Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha reportedly said that the company plans to make fewer phone models in 2012, in part because the variety is confusing to some consumers. HTC is thinking along the same lines. “It’s a goal to have less phones,” Drew Bamford, vice president of user experience at HTC, said during a panel discussion at the show on Wednesday.”
“When pushed, Ryan Bidan, director of product marketing at Samsung, said that while he wasn’t sure what the model count for his company would be in 2012, he agreed that phone makers should drive down the number of phones. “Sheer SKU proliferation is a problem,” he said.”
This is more of a good thing than a bad thing. Also, being that there will be fewer models, this also allows more focus for developers to put towards keeping new phones updated and hopefully running the latest version of Android, 4.0.
Smartphones running Windows Phone won’t be slowing down this year, but it’s very clear why.
“While Microsoft doesn’t produce phone hardware, it’s hoping to see an increase in the number of models running Windows Phone, but that’s because it’s a relatively new entrant to the market and isn’t available on many models yet. “We have a stated objective” to have a broader selection of handsets running Windows Phone on the market, said Aaron Woodman, a director from Microsoft.”
