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Younger Users More Likely to Use Smartphone as GPS, ABI Research Finds

6:35 am on December 20, 2008 | Category: Cell Phones, Mobile Devices, Wireless Technology

American consumers tend to use GPS devices quite differently depending on their age, according to a recent study conducted by ABI Research.

Portable Navigation Devices (PNDs) utilizing GPS technology are fairly popular across all demographics, but younger users (under 35) are considerably more likely to use a PDA or smartphone with GPS technology, as opposed to a standalone PND. Given that most mobile devices now feature some kind of wireless internet access, there has been a surge in the popularity of location-based search and traffic services among younger GPS users.

“With navigation solutions quickly spreading to all age groups in society, it becomes increasingly important for navigation vendors to offer products which address the different needs of the different age segments,” commented ABI Research director, Dominique Bonte, on the findings. “While younger age groups are willing to adopt new connected navigation form factors and services, older groups clearly prefer no-frills, affordable, easy to use, ‘working out of the box’ non-connected PNDs.”

ABI’s findings were based on a survey of 750 in-car GPS users, conducted in August 2008.

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