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But, when those who already have touchscreen devices were surveyed, only 47 percent said they would choose the same type of user interface (UI) on their next phone, Canalys adds. It wasn't made clear whether this finding stands as a repudiation of the touchscreen experience overall, or just an indictment of present-day implementations. Still, the research suggests a surprising opportunity for Windows Mobile, where, unlike with Apple's iPhone or Google's Android, non-touchscreen smartphones are readily available. (One of many examples is the messaging-centric Samsung OmniaPro B7320 phone pictured at right.)
Looking at the results by handset brand, HTC and Apple stood out as having a "higher proportion" of touchscreen users who want to stick with the same UI (and, presumably, vendor), according to the firm. But at the other end of the spectrum, only 29 percent of Sony Ericsson touchscreen users would purchase the same UI again, adds Canalys.
Pete Cunningham, senior analyst at Canalys, stated, "The results suggest that consumer awareness of touchscreen UIs is very high, driven by the marketing of Apple, Samsung and others, and there is no doubt that the changes in device design we have seen over the past couple of years have produced some very exciting products. But it is also apparent that, with experience, a significant proportion of users have not been totally won over by some of these devices."
"There has always been a question mark over how well touchscreens would work among an SMS-centric audience, and the results indicate the transition has not been totally smooth," Cunningham added." Of course, touchscreen phones that supplement their screens with slide-out QWERTY keyboards, such as the HTC Touch Pro2 (below) cater handily for messaging-oriented users; Canalys did not specify how many of its survey respondents are using this type of hybrid device.
Interestingly, the group with the least desire for a finger-centric touchscreen phone was said to be made up of those who are already using stylus-based devices. "This is another example of how strongly current user experience sets future expectations, Cunningham explained. "It is likely that many of those users perceive moving from stylus to finger as a loss of precision that would degrade usability, hence the underlying resistance."
"However, within this group there was notably less push back by current HTC and Samsung owners -- two vendors that put their own finger-driven UI on top of Windows Mobile -- which suggests they may be more successful in migrating customers in this segment," he added.
Further information
Canalys is presumably offering a more granular analysis of its survey results to handset vendors, though availability and pricing were not detailed. More information may be found on the company's website, here.
