There was a time when people got a mobile phone for one and only one purpose - to get the freedom to make and receive calls on the move. Then as time went on, manufacturers started competing with one another adding features like support for downloadable ring tones, text messaging, java applications, web browser, digital camera and so on. More recent features include corporate e-mail and calendar access (such as PDA phones and the blackberry) and mobile TV.
According to this Market Watch report, in a recent ABI Research survey involving 1,400 mobile phone users in 7 countries, the top 3 most "must have" features considered by the customers include a 2+ Megapixel camera at 47%, Bluetooth at 34% and music or FM radio at 32%. While most phone cameras still have a long way to catch up with a typical compact digital camera, having a camera built-in means that one always has a camera at hand, since even a camera-phone shot of a "once in a lifetime" photo is still better than not having any camera for the occasion. With new laws being introduced in some countries that prohibit the use of a hand-held phone while driving, the Bluetooth feature is not really a surprise here.
While a dedicated MP3 player still seems to be the most popular way of listening to music on the move, it is interesting to see that 1/3 of those surveyed say that the ability to listen to music or the radio on a phone is a must have feature. Despite the iPod’s success, it would be interesting to see just what percentage of consumers prefer to listen to music on their phone. Most music phones also have one significant advantage over the iPod by featuring a built-in FM radio. I'm sure many people with a music-capable phone are not aware that it's a full featured MP3 player - just get a large memory card and a headphone adaptor. For example, some recent phones just need a 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter, which lets one plug in anything from a budget pair of earphones to a high end pair of noise cancelling headphones.
Another thing interesting about this survey is that the features mobile providers like to push such as games, downloadable ringtones and Internet access are not part of the top 3 must-haves, although Internet access is still high in the list. However, the likely reason these are not considered as essential is due to them failing to give a satisfactory user experience, with pricing being a significant factor. The least essential features customers mentioned included Wi-Fi, mobile TV and games.
