As reported on Wired.
BY ALEXANDRA CHANG
Emily Nelson browses phones at the AT&T store in San Francisco, CA. Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired
It only seems like everyone has a smartphone.
Despite the dozens of smartphones churned out each year by the likes of Samsung, Apple, Motorola, HTC and more, just 55.5 percent of mobile users in the United States have one, according to Nielsen data from July 2012. But that’s changing, quickly. Two in three American phone buyers will choose a smartphone by 2016, by which point there will be some 1 billion smartphone users worldwide.
Buying your first smartphone is, in this modern age, a rite of passage, one that tops the charts of most memorable purchases alongside a first computer or even a first car. Tossing your dumbphone aside for the world of pocketable apps and the mobile web is nothing short of exhilarating.
“This whole world of smartphones is incredible,” Emily Nelson told Wired after purchasing her smartphone. “I started looking at the top 100 apps for Android and what they can do is phenomenal. I’m a bit giddy.”
How people decide between smartphones, where variations are minimal, rests heavily on company loyalty, previous OS experience, marketing and software differentiators. All of this plays into a buying experience that is at once practical and emotional. Apple’s own internal study showed that smartphone buyers chose Android phones over the iPhone 36 percent of the time because they trusted the Google brand. Just read the comments section of any phone-related story on Wired and it’s easy to see the emotional loyalty users have to certain smartphone providers.
To get a sense of the smartphone shopping experience, Wired met four first-time buyers and chronicled their experiences. What we found is that each took great care in researching what type of phone would work best for them, spending hours researching. But in the end, not everyone ended up with the phone they had intended on purchasing. The decision often came down to the physical experience of holding and playing with the phone. Each person had different requirements and goals, as well as reasons for waiting until now to take the leap. And in the end, each person was happy and satisfied with their new smartphone in hand.
Emily Nelson, 24. San Francisco, CaliforniaNelson cited cost as the leading reason she’s held off on a smartphone. But now that she’s got a steady job as an education coordinator at the San Francisco Symphony, shelling out a few hundred dollars for a phone and about that much each month for a data plan isn’t so big a problem. Her primary goal was finding a phone that with a decent camera and good value.
Wired: When did get your first mobile phone?
Nelson: When I was 14. My parents gave it to me. They wanted to keep track of me.
Wired: How many have you had?
Nelson: Oh geez.. (pause) Five.
Wired: Why have you waited so long to get a smartphone?
Nelson: They are very expensive. But I’ve been in a stable, good full-time job for about a year now, so I’m thinking it’s time. Also, I’ve seen a lot of my friends have their lives taken over by their phone when they get a smartphone.
Wired: How do you anticipate your phone usage will change with a smartphone?
Nelson: Not much with Facebook and email, because I have an office job where I’m on my computer all day. But apps are another thing. I feel like I’m missing out on this whole app fanaticism. One of the big reasons I want to get [a smartphone] is to be able to take good pictures and send them to people. I feel like there are all these photo opportunities and I miss out on them because the camera on my phone is a joke.
Wired: How much are you willing to spend?
Nelson: As little as possible, to be honest. But this will be the first phone I’ve ever paid for. All my other ones have come free with upgrades or plans. I hope to pay less than $150.
Wired: That’s not much.
Nelson: I’ve been thinking about it for the last couple months. I knew the iPhone 5 was coming out, so I thought it was worth it to wait because I know there is a significant price drop for older models once they have a new one.
Wired: So why did you choose the HTC One X?
Nelson: I started playing around with the Samsung Galaxy and the HTC One X and realized an Android phone is much more customizable than iPhone. You could really set up the interface. I started playing around with it. I really liked the pictures. I loved the maps, especially as a bike function, which I know the iPhone does not have. I started mentioning it to people and found one of my friends adores her HTC One X and will defend it against any iPhone ever, and I was talking to my friends at the gym and so this guy was like “Hey are talking about the HTC One X? I just got the new one and I love it.” So that kind of solidified in my mind and the price is right [$99 with two year contract].
Elmer Johnny Morales, 14. Irvine, CaliforniaMorales is amongst the fastest-growing sector of smartphone buyers. Nearly 60 percent of American teens own smartphones, up from the 36 percent in 2011. Many of them have known nothing but a smartphone. Others are upgrading. Morales wanted a solid performer with lots of apps and, of course, easy access to social network. Although Morales had to do a lot of chores and save his allowance, price wasn’t a big concern for him.
Wired: When did you get your first phone?
Morales: I was 7 years old. It was called a Firefly. It had three options — call your mom, call your dad or call 911.
Wired: That’s pretty young. What was it like for you?
Morales: It felt like a dream come true. I really wanted that phone. I felt like the coolest person.
Wired: How many phones have you had:
Morales: I’ve had like seven phones.
Wired: A smartphone is a long way from a Firefly. How are you paying for it?
Morales: I do jobs around the house. I help my dad and I’ve washed cars on the weekend. There are two cars and I washed them for like 5 weeks. My parents would pay me $10 each car.
Wired: How long have you considered getting a smartphone?
Morales: I’d say two years.
Wired: Why now?
Morales: I waited because I knew the technology was going to get better over the time and I’d be able to do more things with my phone. And I had to save the money to buy it.
Wired: What are the factors you’re considering in deciding which smartphone to purchase?
Morales: The iPhone is more popular and it has really good reviews, and the App Store. The apps are sent to Apple; they’re checked so that you don’t get a virus on your phone. Unlike Android, when they’re not checked, you can get a virus on your phone.
Wired: And Windows? Did you consider a Windows phone?
Morales: My dad has the Lumia 900 and he doesn’t like it. It’s really bad. I didn’t want to get a Windows Phone and a contract that I’m going to have to pay to get out of if the phone sucks. So I just decided to go with the iPhone.
Wired: How much did you end up spending?
Morales: When I had the money, I bought it without a contract. The phone cost me around $730. And it was really worth it.
Morales bought an unlocked iPhone 4S
Maxine Woolsey, 62. Oxford, MississippiFor Woolsey, buying a smartphone took a leap – literally. After jumping in her pool with her seven-year-old Nokia candy bar phone in pocket, Woolsey decided it was time to upgrade. Her two tech-savvy kids and loyalty to her carrier played the biggest roles in her decision-making. She’s part of a demographic least likely to have a smartphone — only 13 percent of people older than 65 own a smartphone, according to Pew Internet. But according to an iGR report, people older than 45 are increasingly adopting smartphones.
Wired: When did you get your first mobile phone?
Woolsey: In the beginning, my husband and I shared a bag phone with Cellular South as our carrier. Later, when he purchased a phone, I shared a phone with the children. I acquired my first personal phone in 2004, when it was time for my youngest son to have his own phone. I know the date because my number is the year backwards.
Wired: Why have you waited until now to get a smartphone?
Woolsey: After seven years of good service, good reception, and being able to send and receive text messages, I began paying more attention to the smartphones that my kids and their friends were using. A couple of weeks ago the decision was made for me. My pool had been cloudy all summer and we finally got it to clear up. I was so excited I could not resist, jumping into the pool, even though I was wearing blue jeans and a t shirt. I am sure you know where this story is going.
Wired: Yes…
Woolsey: After twenty minutes of swimming and floating in the pool and feeling totally relaxed, I thought that maybe I did not leave my phone up in the house. I reached into my pocket and there it was, completely full of water.
Wired: What factors did you consider in a phone?
Woolsey: My thought was an iPhone because I wanted the star finder app. Now I know that Android also has the star finder app. My family seems to think the Samsung Galaxy S III is the most technologically advanced and user-friendly smartphone. After looking at a lot of phones at C Spire, when I mentioned the Galaxy S III phone to the sales rep, he agreed it is a good choice. However, C Spire did not have the Galaxy S III at the time. So I thought maybe the Galaxy S II would be a good alternative.
Wired: How much are you willing to spend on a smartphone?
Woolsey: That was another consideration. The Galaxy S III costs $199 and the Galaxy S II costs $99. After weeks of consideration and hoping the Galaxy III would arrive at C Spire, I decided to stick with the carrier I am happy with and purchase the Samsung Galaxy S II.
Wired: How do you like it?
Woolsey: I really like it. The colors are so vivid on the really nice, big screen. I really like the size of the letters and numbers for texting and dialing. They are easy to see and it is so much easier than pushing the little tiny buttons of the BlackBerrys. The panorama camera will be awesome in the mountains. I can hardly wait to use the sky app for identifying stars, planets, and constellations. After being in engineering for so many years, I guess it is about time I catch up with the technical world.
Ann Spencer. San Francisco, CaliforniaCamera quality was key to Spencer, who said the camera in any smartphone would be better than her BlackBerry’s built-in shooter. She wasn’t too concerned about price, and as a cross-platform user with an iPad and a Windows laptop, Spencer initially considered the iPhone 5 or Samsung Galaxy S III.
Wired: When did you get your first mobile phone?
Spencer: Right after 9/11. I resisted getting a phone for the longest time, because I thought it was a collar. But when 9/11 happened, my boyfriend at the time said, “I need to have a way to get a hold of you because it’s freaking me out.” He was so insistent and he nagged me about for a month until I got one.
Wired: How many phones have you owned?
Spencer: I’ve had 11 phones total. Half are work phones.
Wired: How do you anticipate your phone usage is going to change once you get a smartphone?
Spencer: It will change quite a bit. I will probably take photos more often. Right now I carry a separate camera. I take a lot of pictures.
Wired: What other factors are you considering?
Spencer: I need it to be global ready. I want it to have good call reception. I’m going to test out having a keyboard. My preference is for an Android phone or the iPhone.
Wired: Why?
Spencer: I’m looking at apps. I think Microsoft is doing something different this year and doing something dramatically different next year. I really don’t want to get near a Windows Phone; I would rather not be a test case for what they are developing.
Wired: How long have you been considering getting a smartphone?
Spencer: Since July. I’m at the point where I’m reevaluating and seeing what happens in the next months, and then switch. In terms of accessing anything in my browser on Blackberry, it was for shit. That for me was the kicker. I needed to know what was going on with my Kickstarter campaign.
Wired: Why now?
Spencer: I wanted to see when the iPhone 5 was going to happen. I’d rather have the iPhone out a bit and taking all the updates to the OS, and then kind of see what’s happening. I also want to play with both the Samsung S III and the iPhone 5 side-by-side and see how it feels. It will be more of a reaction to how it feels tactically and that will be the final decision maker.
Wired: How much are you willing to spend?
Spencer: It doesn’t matter. If it helps me do what I need, that’s more important for me now. I’m guessing it will be anywhere from $200 to $300.
Spencer bought an iPhone 5.
Ann Spencer unboxes her new iPhone at her home office in San Francisco, CA. Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired