The majority of sporty smartphone owners are willing to pay money for some sort of sensor that enhances the performance of an exercise-related app on their phone, claims a new survey announced on July 2.
A survey, conducted by IMS Research, found that 62.3 percent of smartphone owners who exercised at least once a week and had an interest in health and fitness apps would be willing to pay money for a fitness sensor, such as a pedometer or heart rate monitor, that could connect to an app on their phone.
Of the 62.3 percent who would be willing to pay for such a device, 80 percent would only be willing to pay less than $3.20 for the app itself, but the vast majority (82 percent) would be willing to pay up to $140 for the external sensor.
These findings support the growing trend for increasingly sophisticated connected health devices supported by smartphones, which, according to a November 2011 report from ABI Research, is expected to be worth over $400 million by 2016, up from $120 million in 2012.
The IMS Research survey was conducted among 400 consumers in the UK and the US.
Some popular fitness-tracking sensorized devices (with accompanying apps) on the market include Nike+, Striiv, Adidas MiCoach Pacer, Fitbit, Affectiva Q Sensor, Basis, BodyFit, and Digifit.
