At the close of 2005, there were about 208 million wireless subscribers in the US, representing about 69 percent of the population, according to data collected by CTIA — the Wireless Association trade group. Worldwide, wireless subscriptions hit 2 billion by the end of 2005, according to Informa Telecoms & Media research group.
Handset vendors are now pushing fashion as a way to differentiate themselves in a crowded market, said Avi Greengart of the research firm Current Analysis Inc. But carriers were slow to see beyond technology until the Motorola MOTORAZR saw success in pulling in subscribers, showing that customers were seeking more attractive handsets and were willing to pay a lot more for them.
Consumers in the US are well behind Europeans and Asians in picking up on the fashion accessories trend, Greengart said.
“People don't take their phones and decorate them, they buy stylish phones to begin with,” he said. “That's not the fashionable thing to do here, at least not yet.” Strother said accessories in the US tend to be technology driven — such as the battery that lasts longer without a recharge — or legislation driven, such as the handsfree devices required for drivers in some states.
But analysts say fashion is starting to carry the same weight as function when it comes to choosing the phone.
“Right now, I would say fashion trumps technology, two years ago technology trumped fashion,” Entner said. “Basically one catches up with the other. Probably two years from now technology will trump fashion.” Disney targeted mothers and girls ages 7 to 14 with its new line of phones and accessories, attempting a more sophisticated approach to popular characters, said Vince Peterson, senior art director at Disney Mobile. On one case the profile of Mickey Mouse is embossed in black leather. There's also a leather and suede case with an embossed initial D.
“We're trying to be trendy and have the accessories be fashion forward,” Peterson said. “Cell phones really are a fashion accessory.” Virgirl Jenkins, 33, who works for a car insurance company, said he chose his Nextel i870 “equally for the way it looks and what it does.” He likes the extras, including a global positioning system, MP3 player and a Bluetooth wireless handsfree device. But he also likes the way it looks: “It's a man's phone too,” he said, “not real thin like a woman's phone.” Albert, 53, said women her age are especially focused on the fashion aspect of phones.
“We have a lot more leisure time and our kids are older, our houses are already decorated, our gardens are already done, and now we're taking care of ourselves and focusing on health and exercise and fashion,” she said.
RSS