Study: Cutting-edge gadgets leave consumers confused

by Stevie Smith - Nov 17 2008, 13:00

While tech-loving consumers enjoy nothing more than snapping up the latest cutting-edge hardware or gadgetry as soon as it hits retail stores, a new study has shown many of them subsequently struggle to cope with their purchases.

More pointedly, a study conducted by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project has revealed that consumers armed with new technology but perhaps not enough associated know-how are often left unable to deal with resulting technical problems and must seek alternate solutions.

The report, which states that 28 percent of tech users can usually fix problems by themselves, also notes that 38 percent of those polled turn to official user support sources for a fix, while 15 percent rely on friends and family, a further 15 percent are unable to find a solution, and 2 percent trawl the Net.

"In an age in which new technologies are introduced almost daily, a new gadget or service can become popular well before the technology itself is understood by the average user," outlined Sydney Jones, Research Assistant at the Pew Internet & American Life Project and co-author of the report.

"Naturally, some users catch on to new technology more quickly than others, and those who have more trouble grasping the technology are left confused, discouraged, and reliant on help from others when their technology fails."

The report, conducted across more than 2,000 adults, also revealed that while confused users sought a variety of different solutions their overall attitude remained fairly upbeat. Specifically, some 72 percent of respondents felt confident they were on the right track to solving their tech problems.

However, despite striving to maintain a positive attitude, 59 percent admitted to feeling impatient for a solution due to a lack of access to important technology, 48 percent reported to feeling discouraged about the amount of effort required to find a fix, and 40 percent were confused after receiving mixed information.

The report also noted that those users most likely to be more impatient regarding a solution were adults who have experienced several failures and those who rely heavily on their devices for professional or research purposes.

In terms of failures most likely to strike modern computer technology, the American Life Project study revealed that 44 percent of home users with Net access have suffered connection failures in the past 12 months.

Furthermore, 39 percent of desktop and laptop users have been hit with hardware glitches over the last year, while 29 percent of mobile phone owners have struggled with device issues.

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