Thinner and Lighter Are No Longer Selling Points for Mobile

Rapid advancements in mobile technology make it quite easy to forget that smartphones and tablets have only existed for a few years. As of 10 years ago, there were no smartphones, tablets were enormous, and laptops had to remain near outlets. ‘Big and bulky’ was the name of the early tech game, meaning the thinner, lighter options that came after were all the rage. OEMs and mobile enthusiasts would quickly announce “Gadget X” as the “thinnest device in the known universe!” 

However, this is no longer the case. Most smartphones, laptops and tablets are highly mobile, with many very light and thin, and offering a battery life of seemingly endless hours. Prospective customers are subsequently unimpressed with gadgets claiming to be thinner and lighter than their predecessors, as “less girth” no longer does much to improve user experience. With the exception of the iPhone, most people aren’t looking to upgrade their devices. Samsung and similar competitors are seeing this more and more, as the new “flagship” mobile device isn’t selling the way it once was. 

Why? When featuring only “incremental” improvements over the newest mobile devices, people just aren’t interested. Mobile devices are incredibly versatile, so consumers don’t care about a device that’s slightly thinner than the one they already have. 

In light of this, Apple “went big” with its iPhone. A larger display gave the tech giant something to “push aggressively,” and while the device is now less portable and competitors are making similar phones, the strategy appears to be working.

“Apple has experienced a huge jump in sales share across almost all major markets thanks to the launch of the iPhone 6,” noted Dominic Sunnebo, the strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. “In major European economies, the US and Australia, Apple's share of sales has risen…..most of these sales were driven by loyal Apple users.”

The reason for this jump in sales? The phone’s 4G capability, screen size, and design. 

To further emphasize this point, the previous generation of the iPad was as thin as it could be, and is probably affecting sales of the newest model. The latest iPad 2 may be razor-thin, but iPad Air owners aren’t exactly storming Apple stores to obtain this model.

The days of “thin and light” as main selling points are over. What consumers want now are devices featuring apps, displays, versatility, and updates that significantly improve their mobile device experiences.