Facts, figures, & findings – Brief Article – Statistical Data Included
Marla Misek
Year-to-Date DVD-Video Player Sales Surpass Half-Million Mark
The Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association (CEMA)–which tracks DVD-Video player sales from week to week and month to month (among other things)–announced that, as of April 23, 1999, year-to-date DVD-Video player sales had topped 560,000. The organization also reported a 328 percent increase over 1998’s corresponding year-to-date figure of 130,761. (703/907-7600; http://www.cemacity.org)
Where Users Are Getting Their Software
Despite the perception that most software is pirated, recent figures from the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA)’s 1999 Consumer Survey Report suggest otherwise. Though roughly a fifth of respondents admitted to having copied or borrowed their gaming, education, and personal productivity software, the majority of owners across each category say they either purchased the software separately or acquired it through PC bundling. In 1998, for instance, 34 percent of personal productivity software owners bought their software, while another 28 percent gained new software from a PC purchase. This year, those numbers jumped to 37 percent and 47 percent, respectively. (202/452-1600; http://www.siia.net)
What Average Consumers Want from Their Computers
The future of digital entertainment, it seems, lies in convenience. At least, that’s what the results of a mid-spring survey by Opinion Research Corporation International (ORCI) suggest. Conducted on behalf of Sony Electronics, the four-day survey polled 505 men and 503 women–aged 18 years or older–and found that eight in ten consumers believe computers will soon be as essential to home entertainment as TV is today. Moreover, 61 percent look for advanced multimedia features (like video email and digital photo manipulation) when considering a new computer purchase; more than half say manufacturers focus too much on product specifications and not enough on convenience features (such as personal finance management capabilities) when hawking their wares; and one in two respondents prefer vivid colors and styles over standard beige tones. (908/281-5100; http://206.181.12.34)
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