To: Scrapps who wrote (7238 ) 10/22/1997 8:48:00 AM From: Glenn D. Rudolph Respond to
Britons indifferent to high technology - survey
Reuters Story - October 21, 1997 06:04
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LONDON, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Just two weeks after computer
software mogul Bill Gates endorsed British Prime Minister Tony
Blair's drive to connect all 32,000 UK schools to the Internet,
a study released on Wednesday shows that the initiative is
sorely needed.
The study, financed by U.S. technology hardware maker
Motorola Inc and carried out by the MORI polling
organisation, showed that only just over one in every 10 Britons
use the Internet regularly.
Two-fifths of the population has no interest in gaining
access to the Internet, the world-wide network of personal
computers linked by telephone lines, the survey said.
One of its findings, that sales of goods like personal
computers have peaked and new ones are simply being bought as
replacements by existing users, looks worrying for manufacturers
of high technology products.
"91 per cent of those surveyed have heard of the Internet
but only 11 per cent use it on a regular basis; two-fifths of
the population has no interest in gaining access," Motorola
said.
"41 per cent of British people claim they are not regular
users of technologies such as PCs, mobile phones and pagers,
compared with 43 per cent in 1996, which suggests that new
products are being sold to existing users instead of new users,"
Motorola said.
The survey revealed some glimmers of hope for Motorola's
own business. Some 68 per cent of the 1,027 people surveyed said
smartcards - plastic credit-cards with built-in computer chips -
would be acceptable for use as a travel pass or cash card.
Motorola has high hopes for the future of smartcards, for which
it makes chips.
A similar proportion would be comfortable using a smartcard
as an identity card, driving licence or passport.
There was also some hope for companies hoping to provide
Internet services to mass markets. The survey showed that the
computer-wary might be happy to surf the net using televisions
and telephones.
Neil Winton 44-171-542-7975 neiljinks.demon.co.uk
