A Channel Opportunity in Mobile Printing
All the recent interest in tablets and smartphones may be leading to another practice area for channel partners.
In a research announcement this week, market researchers at IDC released survey results showing strong customer interest in mobile printing solutions.
"We are on the verge of a mobile print expansion, and business users will demand and eventually expect print capabilities from their mobile devices," IDC analyst Jonathan Bees said in a statement "This shift away from dependence on desktop PCs and laptops for printing will provide users with the access and mobility they're looking for. Furthermore, mobility is driving print volume."
The IDC survey of 1,480 end users in the United States found that 52 percent of smartphone users want to print from their devices but currently can't. The survey also found that workers who travel moderately are more likely than heavy travelers to increase their print volume.
That mobile printing solutions will grow in importance as smartphones and tablets take on a bigger role in the business world is hardly a leap of logic -- but IDC's new survey shows the market may soon shift from theoretical to real.
Posted by Scott Bekker on May 10, 2011