Survey results indicate that while prices of MP3(TM) players are declining - with a 9 percent drop in prices year over year - prices of cell phones have increased by 26 percent year over year (in September 2007) compared with the same period last year. Shoppers are willing to pay for the added features that are becoming more standard in cell phones, as the majority of consumers are purchasing mid- to high-range cell phones costing between $300 and $500.
As devices like the iPhone(TM) and "smart phones" become more readily available, online shoppers expect more out of their cell phones. Of those surveyed, 58 percent said that a cell phone with an integrated MP3 player feature is valuable to them.
Apple(R) continues to sweep the MP3 player market, holding 62 percent of market share based on referred dollars, and also holds the top spot as the most popular cell phone, the iPhone. However, AT&T, sole carrier of the iPhone, is second in popularity for service. A total of 31 percent surveyed indicated Verizon Wireless as their cellular carrier, compared with 26 percent surveyed who indicated AT&T and 12 percent who indicated Sprint as their carrier.
Think Green When it's Time for a New Phone
PriceGrabber.com encourages shoppers to recycle old cell phones when purchasing a new one. According to the Rechargeable Battery Corporation, the average American has a total of three or more dead cell phones. On average, 130 million cell phones are retired annually in the United States and only 1 percent of them are recycled.
Earlier this year, PriceGrabber.com launched ShopGreen, a comprehensive guide to more than 20,000 ecofriendly products. The October Consumer Behavior Report continues to underscore PriceGrabber.com's commitment to green shopping by including suggestions from Olivia Zaleski, environmental consultant and blogger for PriceGrabber.com's BlogGreen, Treehugger.com and Huffington Post. Zaleski emphasizes that most cell phones contain enough lead to qualify as hazardous waste under federal regulations, and even lead-free phones are considered hazardous under California regulations because of the high amounts of copper, nickel, antimony and zinc.
