A recent Retrevo Gadgetology study asked consumers whether they notice other people's gadgets and how someone's gadgets affect their opinions of them. It turns out, most noticeably among under 35 year olds, that people's gadgets are being checked out everywhere they go and people's perceptions are, in fact, influenced by them.
According to the Retrevo Gadgetology study, using an iPad is lower on the list of things men and women find attractive than even reading a book. We're not sure why this is so, perhaps there is an element of resentment toward iPad owners among those unfortunate to be iPad-deprived. At the top of the list of things that attract is a cool phone with 50% of men under 35 say they find people with cool phones more interesting. This same group of men is also impressed by the laptop you're toting with 46% saying they are more interested in people with cool laptops. Women under 35 on the other hand, are less impressed by people's gadgets with only 36% saying they find cool cell phones impressive while 38% of the same group of women like people with cool laptops more.
Tip: Want to attract more women? Get a dog! More women under 35 say they are attracted to a dog walker than someone using a cool smartphone.
Bluetooth Headsets and Phone Holsters Are Turnoffs
This should come as no surprise but unless you want to attract that certain techie someone, gadgets and accessories like Bluetooth headsets and phone holsters won't work as well as a cool new smartphone. The study found that about a third of men and women under 35 years old think a Bluetooth headset is unattractive.
Judged By Your Gadgets Wherever You Go
You're most likely to have your gadgets "checked out" at work as more than half the under 35 year olds we asked said they notice their co-workers' gadgets A party or social gathering was the second most likely place with slightly less than half of the same group say they check out someone's gadgets at a party of social event. Additionally, more than a third of this same age group may be drawing conclusions about you based on your gadgets at your local coffee shop, bar, school or even the gym.
How to Marry a Millionaire Using Gadgets
When we asked a cross section of people who make more than $200,000 a year what gadgets make them more interested in someone, over 71% said they find cool phones attractive while 61% said a cool laptop and 54% liked people with iPads. Looking at income versus attractiveness of gadgets, we saw a pattern where the higher the income the more that person is attracted to other people with cool gadgets and the less attracted to artistic types, people with tattoos or outdated phones.
Dress for Success with Gadgets
This Retrevo Gadgetology Study helped confirm what we suspected; personal electronics can make a big impression on someone just like the right clothes, shoes, handbags or other apparel. As a result, gadgets and gadget accessories will become more common as a form of self expression and social advantage. Remember, next time you put your cell phone on the conference table or a coffee table, someone is making a mental note of it.
Visit http://www.retrevo.com/content/blog/2011/02/ipads-dont-make-you-look-cool-you-think
About Retrevo Gadgetology
Retrevo 'sGadgetology Report is an ongoing study of people and electronics from the consumer electronics shopping and review site
Retrevo.com. The data for this report came from a study of online individuals conducted by an independent panel. The sample size was over 1000 distributed across gender, age, income and location in the United States. Most responses have a confidence interval of 4% at a 95%
About Retrevo
Retrevo.com is one of the largest consumer electronics review and shopping sites in the world, helping people decide what to buy, when to buy, and where to buy. Retrevo uses artificial intelligence to analyze and graphically summarize more than 50 million real-time data points from across the web to give shoppers the most comprehensive, unbiased, up-to-date product information they need to make smart, confident purchasing decisions for electronics.
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