Consumers Not Too Savvy When It Comes to Cloud Technology
Although consumers seem to be anticipating Apple, Inc.’s new iCloud service, only 22 percent of them even know what clouding technology is, according to a new study on the savviness of computer users.
In fact, 76 percent of consumers use some type of clouding service, yet most of them are ignorant of the fact that much of what they do online involves some type of clouding technology.
The “Digital Software and Cloud Report,” produced by The NPD Group market research group, reveals that many consumers are not aware that checking email, playing games, doing taxes, or sharing videos, actually involves cloud computing.
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Being unfamiliar with the terminology, however, does not keep consumers from being good at taking advantage of clouding technology.
“Whether they understand the terminology or not, consumers are actually pretty savvy in their use of cloud-based applications,” said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis for NPD. “They might not always recognize they are performing activities in the cloud, yet they still rely on and use those services extensively.”
This might be good news for Apple, Inc., who recently announced the plan to launch iCloud, an Internet-based service where users can store and access everything from music, movies, and photos to calendars, apps, and documents.
The content can be accessed by Mac users either on a laptop, desktop or handheld device, such as an iPhone or iPad.
According to the NPD study, consumers tend to use clouding technology to do taxes, even if they do not realize that they are doing more than figuring out how much they have to pay the man.
“Tax preparation is one area that bridges the PC-cloud divide,” Baker said.
“The consumer’s knowledge and sophistication matter little in terms of how much they use tax prep services; additionally, it is the only type of cloud-based application consumers have shown a willingness to pay for.”
Some companies, such as Google, already offer a similar service, in which computer users can store various documents and email all in one place.
Most of these companies offer their services for free.
Apple, on the other hand, will offer a variety of pricing options for those who want to store files exceeding five gigabytes, with price points ranging from $20 (10GB) to $100 (50 GB) per year.
NPD’s study focuses on consumer familiarity with and use of cloud computing, as well as software digital downloading trends.
The company’s survey was conducted online in May 2011 and involved 1,822 adult U.S. participants.
