Got A Smartphone? You May Suffer From Nomophobia!

BY: 

Dave Forde
January 3, 2013

NomophobiaOver the last year the number of Canadians who own a smartphone has significantly increased, this morning Rogers release their latest Rogers Innovation Report, commissioned by Vision Critical which surveyed over 1,000 Canadians who own smartphones and tablet devices.  According to the results, sixty five per cent say they feel naked without their smartphone and Internet access. A little over half sleep with their device next to them, and 82 per cent use their smartphone in the bathroom. Over half say they check their mobile device before brushing their teeth in the morning.  In other words, these people could easily be identified as  having Nomophobia – the state of stress caused by being away from your smartphone – has gripped Canadian smartphone users.

Rogers has also gone on to make a number of technology trends and predictions for the coming year:

Canadians watch more TV and movies anyplace: Over half (52 per cent) said they increased the amount of TV and movies they watched over the Internet at home in 2012. Men were almost twice as likely as women to watch TV and movies on their mobile devices while on the go. Eighty-six per cent of young adults and 43 per cent of those surveyed caught Gangnam Style on YouTube. Over the next five years, the majority of those surveyed (65 per cent) expect to have seamless connections that allow them to go from room to room without missing a second of a TV show, movie or game.

Canadians to get more time back in their day: Most feel that wireless network speeds have improved in the last year and by 2017, almost half expect to save at least two hours a day by using faster home and mobile Internet.

BYOD – Bring Your Own Device – on the rise: Over half (55 per cent) said they were able to use the device of their choice at work or for work-related purposes in 2012. Seventy-two per cent believe that the majority of Canadians will be able to use their preferred mobile device at the office within the next two years.

More Canadians to work from home thanks to cloud services and faster mobile speeds: Fifty-nine per cent of respondents predict that over the next two years Cloud services—combined with faster mobile networks— will mean more Canadians will work from home.

Canadians making more mobile payments: More than one in ten used an app to pay for a purchase in 2012. The majority of those surveyed (67 per cent) think that within two years most Canadians will use mobile devices to pay for purchases and save money.

More digital and less paper – increased use of e-books and online magazines: In 2012, 10 per cent of those surveyed downloaded a racy novel to a mobile device – and must have liked it – since the majority (78 per cent) think e-book sales will explode. Expect more room in the recycling bin as 77 per cent predict more Canadians will do their magazine reading on their tablets in 2013.

Buffering to be as old school as dial up Internet:  In 2012, ten per cent of respondents said they updated to faster mobile Internet speeds, signing up for the next gen network LTE, and 22 per cent said they upgraded to an LTE device. That is expected to jump, with 80 per cent predicting that more Canadians will sign up for the fastest internet speeds available in 2013. The result? The strong majority (71 per cent) predict that buffering on a wireless device will be as old school as dial up Internet. And in the next five years, more than three quarters (76 per cent) believe the overwhelming majority of Canadians will download files in seconds using the fastest mobile Internet technology in the world.

All about integration – technology ecosystems like Windows 8 gaining ground: The majority of those surveyed (82 per cent) believe that in 2013, integrated technology systems that seamlessly connect two or more devices, will increase in popularity. These include mobile Internet ecosystems like Mac computers integrated with iPhone or Windows 8 software from your desktop at work or home and/or tablets integrated with Windows 8 smartphones.

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Dave Forde


Dave “The Connector” Forde has been involved in the marketing, public relations and technology industry across Canada for over 20 years in various sales and marketing roles, he launched The Connected One network of business sites which connects buyers to the right sellers. Profectio and PR In Canada covers news about the marketing and public relations industry each day helping professionals advance their career and businesses. He also serves as an advisor to a number of businesses across the country. Find Dave on LinkedIn and Twitter.


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