What do women want?
Yes, the age-old question with no single set answer becomes even more complex with the advent of technology that is geared now toward more than just functionality but also form and style.
So, add
smartphones to the list of possibilities that will satisfy the people carrying around double-X chromosomes, because, as handset makers have discovered during the past year, the capabilities of these mobile devices have an ever greater appeal to women.
The
new iPhone, announced Monday, certainly taps into this growing trend that says women want more capable devices that let them stay connected to friends and family – and also get some work done along the way.
But the iPhone is not the only solution, as the makers of BlackBerrys and
Treos have learned. Models like the
Blackberry Pearl (pictured above) have come along in sizes that are easy to put away in pockets or purses and – without being condescending in their marketing approach – colors that are more pleasing than standard silver or black, which previously was typical of most handheld devices.
Last October, according to Nielson, one in four iPhones was owned by a woman. By March, that number had risen to one in three. According to
Verizon Wireless, 71 percent of women make the decisions about their families wireless products and plans, a fact not lost on BlackBerry's manufacturer Research In Motion, which has guided advertising dollars toward magazines such as Elle and Martha Stewart Living.
Samsung is getting in on the new trend with its
Instinct, which by design and functionality is clearly intended to compete with the iPhone. Research In Motion will this summer introduce the
BlackBerry Bold, which while not as stylish as the iPhone promises to be able to access much faster wireless networks. [Source:
The New York Times.]
