According to a recent report by Venture Development Corporation, "Total Cost of Ownership Models for Mobile Computing and Communications Platforms: Industrial and Harsh Commercial Environments," the prospect of a more attractive total cost of ownership (TCO) from new mobile platforms is a powerful factor in accelerating replacement cycles of existing mobile computing solutions.
Survey respondents segmented by factors likely to encourage acceleration:
• Technological obsolescence of legacy system: 81.4%;
• Prospect of more attractive TCO/ROI: 65.1%;
• Attractive trade-in value: 46.6%;
• Desire to switch suppliers: 14.0%;
• Scalability/upgradability of solution: 11.8%;
• Other: 6.9%.
Respondents to VDC's survey indicated average replacement cycles of:
• 5 years for rugged mobile devices;
• 3 years for commercial-grade devices.
Other motivators for replacing mobile computing equipment included:
• The cost of replacement technology is either the same or less than the
present deployment.
• Increased functionality and performance is required.
• Expired warranty.
To view the press release, including graph, go to: www. vdc-corp.com/industrial/press/04/pr04-18.html .
