Half of all iPhones never connected to a computer after activation
One in two iPhones have never been connected to a computer after their initial iTunes activation, according to sources at the Apple Store Genius bar.
Every other iPhone which arrives at an Apple Store Genius Bar for some kind of repair or replacement has never been synced to a computer after its initial activation, according to sources quoted by One FPS.
Tech-savvy smart phone users may find this figure staggering, particularly those who've worked their way through a succession of iPods where the only way to load up music is to connect to iTunes on a Mac or PC. Yet it seems pairing up a mobile phone to a computer is still an alien concept to many users.
Even those who are using more than a tiny fraction of a smart phone's features may not realise the benefits of plugging it into a computer. You can download and use apps, buy music, manage contacts, use email, take and store photos and have them sent to a printing service, and more, all without a PC, so why bother?
What's missing is backup and that's the crucial issue. Apple in particular has already made it incredibly easy to backup its products, thanks to Time Machine for Mac users and iTunes for mobile devices. Apart from the expense of buying a hard drive and the mild inconvenience of plugging in mobile devices on a regular basis, there's no good reason for backups not to happen.
Yet the 50 per cent statistic suggests otherwise. That's why iCloud can't come soon enough, particularly if the basic version remains free. Having devices synchronise and backup wirelessly and automatically means no more headaches if a phone or tablet is lost or damaged or that precious data is somehow wiped off. All we need now is wireless charging and we're sorted.
It would be interesting to find out equivalent stats for smart phone users on other OSes. For now, how about you? Do you religiously sync and backup your phone or live life in the clouds?