The Smartphone Could Be Dead And Gone In Five Years: Report

The views of 1.1 billion people across 24 countries are reflected in a new survey by Ericsson ConsumerLab, with the overarching theme being the impending doom of the smartphone.

While this could be just a bitter reaction to the thriving popularity of smartphones, Ericsson seems to have crunched the very real numbers, and the news doesn’t appear great for smartphones, particularly as people become more lazy and dependent on technology.

In its fifth year, the 10 Hot Consumer Trends report sums it up by saying “constantly having a screen in the palm of your hand is not always a practical solution”.

Today’s teens are now spending around 59 per cent of their total viewing time on mobile screens, with 28 per cent of the total viewing time among streaming natives happening on smartphones.

But, Ericsson warned, Artificial Intelligence is reducing our need for smartphones, and one in two smartphones users now think that smartphones will be a thing of the past within five years.

“Battery capacity is a real issue for smartphone users and the size of devices is literally getting out of hand.

“Although most big smartphones have screens less than 6 inches in diameter, our research indicates that 31 per cent of smartphone users want a 7−8 inch screen and another 30 per cent want a 6 inch screen, while 78 per cent want to worry less about the battery dying,” the report states.

“The contradictory demands for power-draining larger screens and a longer battery life however, highlight a need for better solutions, such as the use of intelligent assistants to reduce the need to always touch a screen. In fact, 85 per cent of smartphone users think wearable electronic assistants will be commonplace within 5 years.”

“Smartphone users believe AI will take over many common activities, such as searching the net, getting travel guidance and as personal assistants. These are areas already being addressed by current generation AI interfaces in smartphones.”

The trust in smartphones is also dwindling, and the report states the majority of smartphone users believe a range of organisations, products and services will be hacked or become infected by a virus in the near future.

“Around two thirds believe that PCs, smartphones and social networks will continue to be exposed,” the study said, however on the flip side, “As many as 21 per cent say their trust goes up after an organisation has successfully resolved a problem after being hacked or infected.”

It probably doesn’t help, though, that when a smartphone does cock up, 34 per cent of smartphone owners go ahead and share this poor experience online, and almost a third of users will read these views and take them onboard.

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