This IDC study presents data from and an analysis of IDC's Asia/Pacific Consumer Audio/Video (AV) Survey, 2006, which was conducted in seven Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) or APEJ countries — Australia, Hong Kong, India, Korea, the People's Republic of China (PRC), Singapore, and Taiwan. This study also provides an examination of the survey data relating to early-adopter usage of portable audio players and MP3-enabled mobile phones. The topics covered include brand ownership of portable MP3 players, the key factors influencing portable music device purchasing decisions, the preferred number and sources of music selections carried around in portable music devices, the frequency of use of portable audio devices, as well as the preferred types of portable music device.
The survey findings suggest that respondent preferences vary widely, depending on many factors, including culture, lifestyle, and situation. Of the total respondent base, 69.6% reported using portable MP3 players while 88.5% owned mobile phones, 67% stored up to a maximum of 249 songs in their portable music players, and 62.9% listened to their portable MP3 players for a maximum of four hours per day.
"The survey specifically targeted the early adopters of new digital audio devices and services, allowing IDC to open a window into early market trends, user preferences, and usage patterns," says Claudio Checchia, research manager, Consumer Markets Research, IDC Asia/Pacific. "The standalone portable MP3 players market in APEJ is expected to face growing competition from MP3-enabled mobile phones. However, with so many choices, a high percentage of consumers will own different devices and even switch between dedicated portable MP3 players and music-enabled mobile phones, depending on their lifestyles and on the situation."
