10 Reasons a Person Might Not Get a Smartphone

5:59 AM Edited by Blony

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Take a look at the people sitting around you in any public setting and you will undoubtedly see dozens of folks working away on their smartphones. They’ll be flipping across their touchscreens and playing with applications and sending text messages to update their Twitter accounts. This is not the way of the future; the smartphone is the way of right now. But take a closer look around that bus or restaurant and you’ll spy one or two people who are still talking away on a traditional old cell phone, one with no touchscreen and no real access to online data.

If you yourself already have a smartphone then you may be baffled as to why anyone would keep on using those tiny little phones that can’t do much beyond voice and text. Here’s a look behind the scenes of the minds of those people with the top ten reasons that they haven’t yet bothered to move into the world of today and get a smartphone:

1. Cost of the device. The main reason that most people opt to hang on to their phones forever instead of upgrading to a new smartphone is the concern for cost. People are trying to save money these days and any new expense has to be thought through carefully. Many people out there just can’t justify the expense of buying a new iPhone or BlackBerry Storm right now even if they really do have an interest in getting one of these great new smartphones. They’re waiting until times get better before they feel comfortable spending their money freely on a new phone.

2. Cost of the monthly services. Another cost concern when it comes to smartphones is the concern that the cost of monthly services will go up. This concern may or may not be valid depending on the existing services on the old phone, the new phone plans offered for the smartphone that’s desired and the way that the person uses the phone. Someone who has only a voice plan but who would upgrade to a voice, text and data plan if he got a smartphone is someone who could be looking at a big leap in the cost of monthly services by upgrading to the new phone. That individual may opt to keep the old simple cell phone just because he knows that he’d be spending a lot more money monthly if he got the new phone.

3. Interest in a smartphone that’s not on their network. Some people have chosen not to get new smartphones yet because they don’t like the options available on the network that they use and they don’t want to switch networks. For example, many people are interested in the new Android phones that are coming out but right now those are only available on T-mobile so someone who wants one of those phones but who doesn’t want to switch over to T-mobile services may be holding out until other networks pick up Android phones.

4. Waiting to see the developments in smartphone technology. There is always a series of phases in regards to how people in society adopt new technology. First, there are those cutting-edge people who try out the new technology before anyone else. Next there is the wave of average consumers who rely on the positive reviews from the cutting-edge people to convince them to get the product. And finally there are those late-adopters that really just like to wait and see what all of the options are before getting in on the new technology. Where we’re at right now with smartphones is the second phase where the average consumer is getting these types of phones. There are still people out there who are late adopters who are waiting to see if the new smartphones coming out in the next year or so are better buys than the ones being released today.

5. Desire to keep technology simple. Some people just really want to keep their technology (and their lives) simple. They have a mobile phone because they feel like they need it to get in touch with people in emergencies but they really don’t use their phones that much. These people simply don’t see a need for a smartphone and probably won’t bother to get one until there are very few other options in the market for them.

6. Concern about using the phone all of the time. Take a look around that imaginary room or public space again and notice all of the people around you who are ignoring the life they’re in because they’re busy on their smartphones. The smartphone makes it easy to spend a whole lot of time answering email and checking your mobile Facebook and doing so many other things. Many people stop paying attention to the events they’re attending or the people they’re with because they’re on their phones. Those people who don’t yet have smartphones may notice this and be afraid of turning in to “one of those people” so they avoid getting a smartphone to avoid that problem.

7. Locked into a contract. There are still a handful of people out there who are locked into a contract with their existing cell phone companies and who haven’t gotten a smartphone yet because they’re waiting for their contract to be up. It’s typically more affordable to get a new phone on your own network after the contract is up because the company wants to keep you as a customer so these people are waiting to negotiate that better deal on a smartphone.

8. Subscribing to myths and rumors. There are a lot of myths and rumors out there about each smartphone and some people subscribe so much to these that they don’t want to get those new phones. For example, there are a lot of complaints that the iPhone gets bad voice reception service or that iTunes doesn’t work right on it and so some people decide not to get the iPhone because they’ve heard these rumors.

9. Fear of the unknown. What it boils down to for most people who are still clinging on to old phones is that they are scared of what they don’t know. Smartphone technology really does differ significantly from the other phone technology that people are using. Someone who doesn’t adapt to new technology well may just be afraid of learning to use touchscreens and mobile social networking and all of the other things that are now offered on smartphones.

10. Satisfied with existing phone. Believe it or not, there are some people out there who are really just completely satisfied with the old phones that they are using even though these phones don’t have all of the function and capability of smartphones. Some people actually just like those simple, small little phones that do just enough to make their lives more productive. It’s hard to believe, isn’t it?

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