IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- A recent
consumer study commissioned by Western Digital Corp. (NASDAQ: WDC)
and conducted by research firm Vanson Bourne found that having to
choose which photo or video to delete to free up storage space, and
then regretting doing so, is a bona fide #firstworldproblem.
The study, from a survey of 5,000 consumers across the UK,
France, Germany and the
United States, analyzes how people create, consume, share
and store digital content. Key findings include:
- Over 76 percent of respondents aged 16 to 24 delete content to
make spaceā¦and then regret it
- The era of digital media has arrived, and the end of the CD is
near
- Streaming of feature films or TV shows is not taking over from
digital ownership today
- One in four say their digital content is 'priceless', while the
rest place the average value at approximately $5,500 USD
Sacrificing Content
Despite one in four saying their digital content is 'priceless',
sacrificing a picture or video is a regular occurrence. Of those
that took the survey:
- Nearly one fifth (19 percent) of consumers have deleted a photo
or video to make room on their device, and regretted this all of
the time
- This figure is over one quarter (27 percent) when looking at a
younger group of 16 to 24 year olds
- Similarly, 31 percent of the 16 to 24 age group say that they
run out of space on their smartphones on a weekly basis while 17
percent say this is a problem on a daily basis
"Running out of storage space isn't the greatest challenge
threatening mankind at the moment, but it's certainly an annoyance
for a great many consumers," said Jim
Welsh, executive vice president and general manager of
Content Solutions at WD. "Our findings clearly show that consumers
are sacrificing precious memories and valuable content to make more
space on their devices."
Physical Ownership vs. Digital Ownership
One reason for the daily deletion of content could be the
preference of digital forms of media over physical forms of
media.
Of the respondents, 48 percent prefer digital versions of music
albums compared to 25 percent preferring the hard copy.
- The same goes for films with 41 percent of respondents
preferring a digital copy versus 29 percent for DVD
- While streaming is becoming popular, today it's not winning the
battle over ownership, as for those who prefer digital versions for
watching feature films, 48 percent prefer digital ownership to 29
percent preferring streaming
With an average of five music albums, five feature films and
five television shows being downloaded each week by the consumers
in the study, it's clear a huge amount of digital media is being
consumed.
"Our study shows that 73 percent of consumers still buy
technology based on price compared to only 37 percent buy based on
features, and we believe this is true for external storage," said
Welsh. "However, as consumers continue to be leading more digital
lifestyles and are forced to choose between which files to keep or
delete, we believe consumers will look for external storage
solutions that bring more value with features that help them store,
share and backup their digital content from mobile devices and
computers."
Storage Needs
The findings support the notion that there is a disconnect among
the majority of consumers over how much digital content they
consume and create and how much storage they own and need.
- Of those who have personal storage only one in four respondents
have external storage of 1 TB or more
- Yet, 46 percent have 64 GB or less as their total storage or
back-up capacity on the device they use as their primary means of
storing content
"Clearly, attitudes towards storage purchasing have not yet
caught up with appetites for digital content," Welsh added. "It's
incumbent on companies like Western Digital to demonstrate to
consumers how products like wireless hard drives, network attached
storage and personal clouds can help them quickly and easily manage
their digital lives and ensure they never have to delete a precious
memory again. We say to consumers, 'keep it coming!'"
This news release contains forward-looking statements, including
statements relating to the growth of digital content, the increase
in storage capacity necessary to handle such digital content, and
the need for storage products to be able to store such digital
content from a variety of devices. These forward-looking statements
are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those expressed in the
forward-looking statements, including but not limited to, the risks
detailed from time-to-time in our Securities and Exchange
Commission filings and reports, including, but not limited to, our
most recent annual report on Form 10-K to which your attention is
directed. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on
these forward-looking statements, which speak as of the date
hereof, and WD undertakes no obligation to update these
forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or
circumstances.
About Western Digital
Founded in 1970, Western Digital Corp. (NASDAQ: WDC),
Irvine, Calif., is an
industry-leading developer and manufacturer of storage solutions
that enable people to create, manage, experience and preserve
digital content. It is a long-time innovator in the storage
industry. Western Digital Corporation is responding to changing
market needs by providing a full portfolio of compelling,
high-quality storage products with effective technology deployment,
high efficiency, flexibility and speed. Its products are marketed
under the HGST and WD brands to OEMs, distributors, resellers,
cloud infrastructure providers and consumers. Financial and
investor information is available on the company's Investor
Relations website at investor.wdc.com.
Apps, services, and other features are subject to change based
on your location, software version, device model, and third party
service providers.
Western Digital, and the WD logo are registered trademarks of
Western Digital Technologies, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries.
Other marks may be mentioned herein that belong to other companies.
Pictures shown may vary from actual products. Not all products may
be available in all regions of the world. As used for storage
capacity, one gigabyte = one billion bytes; one terabyte = one
trillion bytes. Total accessible capacity varies depending on
operating environment.
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SOURCE Western Digital Corp.